Strategies for Living With a Narcissistic Person

Narcissism is a blanket term for a wide variety of behaviors. According to Medical News Today, narcissism can be described on a scale of 1-10; one being healthy narcissism and 10 being a pathological narcissist or Narcissistic Personality Disorder. If you're living with someone who displays narcissistic tendencies, it's important to understand that person, learn ways to cope with the behavior, and know when you should leave.

About

• Learning about narcissism will help you identify with the person you're living with as much as possible. It's important to know that people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) may find it impossible to feel compassion -- sometimes they tease, taunt or torment you and others not with hurting your feelings in mind, but because they find it entertaining. NPD makes people feel as if they were gods; for them, rules don't apply. They may have an unrealistic sense of self, with fantasies of great power, success or intelligence. According to Medical News Today, people with NPD do not have the capacity to feel empathy or compassion for others.

  What you should also know is that sometimes, the narcissist suffers. Because of his over-inflated ideals about what he should be, he often lets himself down. This is why narcissistic people sometimes become very frustrated or even angry -- they're not trying to punish you; they're punishing themselves for their own shortcomings.

Strategies

• Living with a narcissist takes negotiation. It's important to remember that you can't change people; you can only adapt to them. The first thing you should do is have an open and honest discussion with the narcissist. Talk about her boundaries as well as your own. Discuss the things she does that you can learn to cope with and the things that you will not excuse. Also discuss some things you can change about yourself that might help him, and the things you will not do in order to cater to her.

  Even after this discussion, things probably won't go completely smoothly. The narcissist you live with will probably still do things to disappoint you, like putting you down or yelling at you for things that aren't your fault. When this is bothering you, the best way to cope with it is to disengage (by ignoring the narcissist, or removing yourself from the situation). Even if you try to continue reasoning with the narcissist, things are not likely to get better.

Leaving

• Because it is very difficult to change a narcissist, if you are experiencing a loss of self-esteem or are finding that you just can't deal with the situation, you should consider leaving. Medical News Today has coined the term "Narcissism Victim Syndrome" because so many people who live with narcissists become depressed, have anxiety disorders, or even experience suicidal thoughts. If you are having any of these symptoms, it may be time to leave.