An avid attention seeker? No empathy? Ignores the needs of those around them? Does your spouse exhibit the classic signs of a narcissist?
What is a narcissist?
It seems to have become fashionable to label someone a narcissist. We have all heard someone say, “He’s a narcissist” or “She’s a narcissist”. Family lawyers especially hear this a lot from our clients when describing their spouses.
But is this an accurate description?
Thankfully, a true narcissist is a rare being – someone entirely self-absorbed, with a grandiose sense of importance and entitlement; someone who craves attention, who is without empathy, and ignores the needs of those around them. How many of us knows one of these? I’m going to guess that not many of us do.
Of course, we all have a touch of passive narcissism in us – posting on Instagram, Facebook and getting a kick out of accrued number of likes for instance. But this is harmless stuff. The true narcissist will actively go out of his or her way to win at all costs, and potentially abuse others in their doing. This is why they require careful handling in a divorce scenario. A narcissist will create a storm if challenged, which the specialist family lawyer will see coming their way a mile off and will be armed and ready to battle.
What if that is my situation?
If you are seeking to escape from a relationship with someone who fits the description of a narcissist, take advice from a specialist family lawyer who will be able to take the strain and will, with careful handling of your partner, extract you from the circumstances.
Jane Katyar is head of family law, with expertise in all aspects of divorce, separation and matrimonial finances as well as protection of children and victims of coercive control and domestic abuse. For more information please call 020 8035 0368 or email [email protected].