Narcissism: Excessive self-love or self-centeredness, often resulting in a lack of empathy for others.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD): A mental condition characterized by a long-term pattern of exaggerated self-importance, a need for excessive attention and admiration, and a lack of empathy for others.
Grandiosity: An unrealistic sense of superiority, believing oneself to be better than others.
Ego: A person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance.
Self-Esteem: Confidence in one’s own worth or abilities; self-respect.
Admiration: Respect and warm approval, often sought by narcissists.
Entitlement: The belief that one inherently deserves privileges or special treatment.
Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another, often lacking in narcissists.
Gaslighting: A form of manipulation where the abuser tries to make the victim doubt their own reality or sanity.
Triangulation: A tactic used by narcissists to create conflict between two people, often to maintain control.
Projection: Attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings or traits to someone else.
Idealization: Viewing someone as perfect or more superior than they are.
Devaluation: The act of diminishing the worth or importance of someone, often following idealization.
Discard: The abrupt ending of a relationship by a narcissist when they no longer see value in the other person.
Narcissistic Supply: The attention, admiration, and affirmation a narcissist needs to feel valued.
False Self: The facade that narcissists present to the world, masking their true feelings of inadequacy.
Real Self: The true, often vulnerable, self that is hidden behind the narcissist’s false persona.
Pathological Lying: Chronic lying for no apparent reason, common in narcissists.
Mirroring: Copying the behaviors, speech, and mannerisms of others to fit in or be liked.
Love Bombing: Excessive affection and attention used to gain control or manipulate.
Hoovering: Attempts to suck someone back into a toxic relationship.
Flying Monkeys: People who do the narcissist’s bidding, often unwittingly, by manipulating or pressuring the victim.
No Contact: Completely cutting off communication with a narcissist to heal and move on.
Grey Rock Method: A technique of appearing boring or uninterested to discourage a narcissist’s attention.
Cognitive Dissonance: The mental discomfort experienced when holding two conflicting beliefs or values.
Smear Campaign: A strategy used by narcissists to discredit someone by spreading false or exaggerated information.
Enabler: Someone who passively or actively supports the narcissist’s behavior.
Victim Blaming: Holding the victim responsible for the abuse they experienced.
Idealization Phase: The initial stage of a relationship with a narcissist, characterized by excessive admiration and attention.
Devaluation Phase: The stage where the narcissist begins to criticize and devalue their partner.
Discard Phase: The final stage where the narcissist abruptly ends the relationship.
Manipulation: Controlling or influencing someone to do what the manipulator wants.
Control: The power to influence or direct people’s behavior or the course of events.
Exploitation: Taking advantage of someone for one’s own benefit.
Jealousy: Feeling of resentment against someone because of that person’s rivalry, success, or advantages.
Insecurity: Lack of confidence or assurance; self-doubt.
Arrogance: An attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or presumptuous claims.
Self-Absorption: Preoccupation with one’s own emotions, interests, or situation.
Validation: Recognition or affirmation that a person’s feelings or opinions are worthwhile.
Envy: A feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc.
Blame-Shifting: Shifting responsibility for one’s actions or feelings onto another person.
Emotional Abuse: Non-physical behavior that belittles another person, causing emotional or psychological harm.
Silent Treatment: A passive-aggressive form of emotional abuse where one person ignores or refuses to speak to another.
Narcissistic Rage: Intense anger or aggression exhibited by a narcissist when their self-esteem is threatened.
Hypercriticism: Excessively critical behavior aimed at demeaning others.
Self-Serving Bias: The tendency to perceive oneself in an overly favorable manner.
Inferiority Complex: A persistent feeling of being inferior to others.
Superiority Complex: A behavior that suggests one believes they are superior to others.
Egocentrism: Inability to differentiate between self and other.
Self-Aggrandizement: The action or process of promoting oneself as being powerful or important.
Isolation: The act of separating oneself or others from social interactions.
Hypervigilance: An enhanced state of sensory sensitivity, often as a result of feeling threatened.
Obsession: A persistent, often intrusive thought, idea, or feeling.
Compulsion: An irresistible urge to behave in a certain way, often against one’s conscious wishes.
Neglect: Failure to care for properly.
Self-Centeredness: Being preoccupied with oneself and one’s affairs.
Dismissiveness: The act of disregarding or rejecting someone or something.
Egomania: Obsessive preoccupation with oneself.
Distortion: Twisting or altering something out of its true, natural, or original state.
Intimidation: The act of making others afraid through threats or aggressive behavior.
Dominance: Power and influence over others.
Hostility: Unfriendly and aggressive behavior.
Manipulative Charm: Using charisma to manipulate others.
Pathological Envy: Deep and pervasive feelings of envy that affect a person’s behavior and relationships.
Self-Delusion: The act of deceiving oneself.
Hyper-Sensitivity: Excessive sensitivity to criticism or rejection.
Self-Righteousness: Believing oneself to be morally superior.
Impostor Syndrome: The persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud.
Codependency: A psychological condition where someone is excessively reliant on another for emotional support.
Narcissistic Injury: Emotional pain or upset caused by a threat to a narcissist’s self-esteem or self-worth.
Validation-Seeking: The act of constantly seeking affirmation from others.
People-Pleasing: Prioritizing others’ approval over one’s own needs or values.
Self-Sabotage: Deliberately hindering one’s own success or progress.
Inferiority Feelings: Persistent feelings of inadequacy or lack of self-worth.
Perfectionism: Striving for flawlessness and setting excessively high performance standards.
Self-Pity: Excessive, self-indulgent unhappiness over one’s own troubles.
Self-Deprecation: The act of belittling or undervaluing oneself.
Overcompensation: Attempting to offset real or imagined deficiencies by exaggerating desirable qualities.
Self-Justification: The process of excusing or justifying one’s actions, especially when these actions are questionable.
Attention-Seeking: Behaviors intended to attract notice and make oneself the focus of others’ attention.
Grandiose Fantasies: Unrealistic and exaggerated beliefs about one’s abilities, power, or importance.
Relational Aggression: Behavior intended to harm someone’s social relationships or social status.
Paranoia: Irrational and persistent feelings of mistrust or suspicion.
Deflection: Redirecting attention or blame away from oneself onto another person or thing.
Self-Promotion: Actively publicizing oneself to gain attention or approval.
Hyperactivity: Excessively active behavior, often to maintain a sense of importance or relevance.
Sociopathy: A personality disorder characterized by antisocial behavior, lack of empathy, and egocentricity.
Psychopathy: A personality disorder indicated by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited traits.
Hypersensitivity to Criticism: Extreme sensitivity to any form of criticism, often leading to defensive or aggressive responses.
Blame Deflection: Shifting the blame from oneself to others.
Lack of Accountability: Refusing to take responsibility for one’s actions.
Shaming: Using shame as a tool to control or manipulate others.
Emotional Vampirism: Draining others of their emotional energy for one’s own benefit.
Fragile Self-Esteem: Inconsistent and easily threatened sense of self-worth.
