The narcissist goes through the same cycle in his relationship with God, the quintessential authority figure. But often, even when disillusionment and iconoclastic despair have set in – the narcissist continues to pretend to love God and follow Him.
Rise above the provocations of a narcissist.
Treat them with kindness and mercy, and model Christ-like behavior in all that you do. Keep in mind that in the Bible, of all the things that God hates most, “haughty eyes” are listed first (Proverbs 6:16-17).
Narcissism is addressed in the Bible in Paul's second pastoral epistle to Timothy (2 Timothy 3:1-7) in the fall of A.D.67. Paul seems to be concerned about the character and behavior of leaders within the church, so he warns Timothy to beware of those who act out of a “self love attitude”.
In essence, they want you to worship them, so they feel “special," “exceptional," and “important." It is with this superficial and compensatory outer “mask” that the narcissist constructs his or her false identity, submerging an insecure, wounded self.
Narcissists believe themselves superior and have no problem treating you as an object. But what happens when religion and God become a narcissist's mission? With their attachment to God, they view others as fatally flawed and their belief in their specialness becomes magnified.
A spiritual narcissist is someone who uses faith and spirituality to manipulate others and obtain a narcissistic supply to boost their own ego. This can be your preacher, guru, or spiritual coach. Also, a spiritual narcissist can be your family member, a parent, or your romantic partner.
Narcissism is positively associated with self-assessed intelligence, but not objective intelligence.
A god complex is a pattern in which an individual believes they have great power, ability, infallibility, influence, and are superior to others. It often refers to behaviors associated with narcissistic personality disorder or mania.
Arrogance – Arrogance and a disregard for other people's feelings are typical characteristics of narcissism. Narcissists often have a low self esteem which they try to relieve by insulting or degrading others. This helps to re-inflate their ego when they are feeling deflated or lacking in worth.
Often narcissism is not mentioned in Christian theology, sermons, or Bible Studies because term is not explicitly found in the Bible. Yet, the concept of narcissism and the dangers it poses to the human community is fundamental to scripture.
Spiritual narcissists boast about their spiritual or religious endeavors, including practices such as yoga, prayer, meditation, or knowledge of spiritual texts. Their presumption of superiority leads them to treat others with condescension.
However, it's important to remember that we should first pray for discernment before dismissing our reactions. Spiritual narcissists love our churches because it's easy for them to hide in plain sight, discredit their victims, find supporters, and secure their position by becoming needed.
A narcissist uses their religious belief to manipulate, control and dominate you through fear. They systematically take the life out of your faith and replace themselves in the center.
He is the person most insensitive to his true needs. The narcissist drains himself of mental energy in this process. This is why he has none left to dedicate to others. This fact, as well as his inability to love human beings in their many dimensions and facets, ultimately transform him into a recluse.
It's not known what causes narcissistic personality disorder. The cause is likely complex. Narcissistic personality disorder may be linked to: Environment — parent-child relationships with either too much adoration or too much criticism that don't match the child's actual experiences and achievements.
Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by self-absorption, grandiosity, exploitation of others and lack of empathy. The tendency to elicit admiration from others is epitomic, but it is manipulative and finalized to take a personal advantage.
When the NPD lies, he or she is trying to make themselves appear dominant. They lie for self-gain believing that telling mistruths makes them look smarter than the other person. Having a victim at their side who they can lie to provides them with a constant narcissistic supply, someone that fuels their sickness.
Narcissistic Vulnerability
Despite having seemingly strong personalities, narcissists are actually very vulnerable. Psychotherapists consider them to be “fragile.” They suffer from profound alienation, emptiness, powerlessness, and lack of meaning.
Malignant narcissists are often regarded as having the most extreme form of NPD, and while they will have the regular qualities of someone with narcissistic personality disorder, their self-absorption and self-obsession is accompanied by some darker behaviors as well.
Although narcissists act superior, entitled and boastful, underneath their larger-than-life facade lies their greatest fear: That they are ordinary. For narcissists, attention is like oxygen. Narcissists believe only special people get attention.
Grandiose narcissists display an inflated sense of self and often appear arrogant and entitled. Vulnerable narcissists also have a heightened focus on themselves but are more needing of reassurance and are envious of others.
Researchers from the Queen's University Belfast have found that people who have grandiose narcissistic traits were more likely to be 'mentally tough', feel less stressed and also less vulnerable to depression.
According to research, people with narcissistic personality disorder have reduced gray matter volume in areas of the brain related to empathy and increased activity on baseline images in brain regions associated with self-directed and self-absorbed thinking.
Bottom Line. Narcissists can sometimes be helpful and caring. However, more often than not, they only pretend to have these qualities. Moreover, even when they act giving and helping, they are not motivated by empathy because they severely lack it, and as a result, their help is often not very productive.