A lot of people on the internet asked, can a narcissist change, can a narcissist change in a relationship, can a narcissist be faithful, can a narcissist love, and more! To answer all of the questions shortly, I must say yes, narcissistic people can change, but conditions apply.
You might get the answer you were looking for, but there are other things you must know about narcissistic traits as well. In this blog, we will be taking a deep look at “Can a narcissistic change” and how can a narcissistic person change willingly based on psychological studies and pieces of evidence. Let’s get started!
Can a Narcissist Change?
Yes, a narcissist can change. If you find a narcissist behaving negatively occasionally, you can make it happen by understanding the causes and their willingness to change. Moving forward, people with narcissistic tendencies struggle with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).
NPD is a type of personality disorder that brings narcissistic traits throughout an individual’s life. If you think you or your loved one might be struggling with narcissistic personality disorder and haven’t received a proper diagnosis yet, you can seek proper diagnosis and treatment by connecting with an experienced and certified mental health professional, click below:
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Some people with NPD are actually not aware of their narcissistic traits, and they might not even acknowledge them easily. Therefore, proper intervention and counseling are required in such situations. Improper or lack of acknowledgment can be a great barrier to change.
Research shows that a narcissistic personality can only change their traits when they are aware of the situations, symptoms, behaviors, and traits. Along with this, therapy plays an important role in the desired changes. The process of changing narcissism requires honesty and self-awareness.
Facts show that not all narcissistic people are ready to acknowledge and willing to change their traits. Therefore, there’s no assurance that a narcissistic person will change their traits even after getting therapy, falling in love, or hitting rock bottom.
I repeat a narcissistic person can only change when they’re willing to do so and by acknowledging their symptoms because narcissism requires admiration, and usually narcissistic people find it difficult to acknowledge their flaws even when they know they might be causing problems. They also react overly in some situations or challenges which impacts their sense of superiority.
Additionally, research shows that willingness towards change also depends on whether they have only narcissistic traits alone or NPD combined.
How to Differentiate Between NPD and Narcissistic Traits?
Many people believe that NPD and narcissistic traits are the same, however, that’s not the case. A person having narcissistic traits does not necessarily mean that they have NPD. For example, manipulative or abusive people do not necessarily struggle with NPD. Here’s how you can understand the differences between NPD and narcissistic traits:
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a long-term personality disorder that affects personality consistently throughout life. In order to be diagnosed with NPD, it’s important to meet at least five symptoms from the below-listed list:
Arrogant behavior or attitude
Continuous fantasizing
Extreme sense of self-importance
Extreme need for admiration
Exploitative relationship
Jealousy
Lack of empathy
Sense of superiority, power, success, and love
Sense of entitlement
On the other hand, narcissistic traits are characterized by patterns such as:
Arrogance
Entitlement
Envy
Exploitation
Expecting special treatment
Excessive sense of self-importance
Grandiosity
Lack of empathy
Can a Narcissistic Change With or Without Therapy?
Do you know that there are still no standardized therapy options for treating NPD, this means psychologists or mental health professionals don’t use a single approach for treating NPD. However, the treatment options are curated on the basis of symptoms, tendencies, and behaviors, and most importantly they check if the narcissistic traits are alone or combined with NPD.
In order to receive an accurate treatment plan, it’s important for the person to be honest about their behaviors and tendencies. A therapist cannot force a person to do this, therefore, willingness can actually change a person with narcissistic traits.
A lot of people asked on the internet, can a narcissist change without therapy? Well, again, that’s a matter of willingness, honesty, and self-awareness. If a person is mindful enough to understand their narcissistic patterns and willing to change, they can really make it happen. If they are not willing to be honest about their patterns, in such cases, even therapy cannot change narcissistic traits.
Coming forth to the treatment process, narcissistic traits can be changed with the help of transference-focused therapy (TFT). This therapy helps establish a healthy relationship between client and therapist so that the client can be more open, comfortable, and honest while discussing their behaviors and emotions with the therapist.
Some mental health professionals also vouch over schema therapy which is also known to be an effective therapy option for treating narcissism. In this therapy, the therapist tries to understand the core beliefs of the client and then replaces them with balanced ones. Please note that therapy does not accurately cure NPD but it can actually help in reducing symptoms and their severity.
Answering the Other Most Asked Questions
Do people with narcissism change as they get older?
Research and prevalence show that narcissistic traits are less found in older adults which means in some cases, yes, people with narcissism tend to change as they get older. Research shows that 53% of people with narcissistic traits were in remission 2 years later. However, this does not necessarily mean that narcissistic people change as they get older.
Can a narcissist change in a relationship?
Research shows that love from another person cannot change a person with narcissistic traits or NPD. Only, the narcissistic person with NPD is able to make the choice if they are willing to change for love, relationship, right men or women or not. Some people might start attending therapy to save their relationship, but there’s no guarantee that they will change or not. It completely depends on them.
Can people with narcissistic traits maintain healthy relationships?
In order to maintain a healthy relationship, respect, empathy, and love are required mutually. This can be challenging for people with narcissistic traits as they continuously seek admiration, a sense of superiority, and more. Relationships with NPD may look exploitative as one partner will always have to keep their desires aside for the sake of the relationship. Interpersonal conflicts, prioritizing one’s needs, misuse of resources, infidelity, and arguments are some of the common issues faced in relationships by NPD people.
I hope this blog helps you find the right answer when you are looking for narcissistic traits. Comment down and share your experiences on the same. For more such content, connect with us through all social media.
Thanks for reading!
The post Can A Narcissist Change: Taking A Deep Look In The Psychological Evidence appeared first on Calm Sage – Your Guide to Mental and Emotional Well-being.