Just like narcissistic people, someone with histrionic personality disorder has the potential to destroy someone’s life, along with their mental health, safety, confidence, and everything they believe in.
the main points:
Cluster B personality disorders consist of narcissism, borderline, theatrical, and antisocial personality disorders.
Negative personality traits can also overlap specific diagnostic criteria.
An individual does not need a clinical diagnosis to display negative personality traits.
Cluster B disorders are a group of negative traits organized into four classifications: narcissism, histrionic, borderline, and antisocial personality disorders. Personality disorders as a whole are described as persistent, maladaptive patterns of thoughts and/or behaviors that deviate from the culture of the individual (APA, 2013). These thoughts, beliefs, and actions are inflexible, highly negative, and pervasive.
Despite our best efforts, we all have negative traits and unhealthy habits. What makes a trait pathological is the inability and unwillingness to change and improve. Even the coolest person on the path to sainthood can lash out in a fit of anger and ego. Human action comes with free will for thoughts and actions. We all have the innate ability to be narcissistic; However, what separates non-narcissists from the crowd is the element of self-control and choice.
- Total Destruction
When suicidal threats don’t work, the last gasp is narcissistic abuse of destruction.
There are different versions of this depending on the type of narcissist you are dealing with. If they are a covert narcissist, their attempt at destruction will be different from a variant narcissist, as is the case with a sociopath. If you have continued, you know all about this and will not respond to their attempts to destroy you.
- Substitution
Finally, the narcissist decides to cut his losses and look for someone else. It is important to understand this and know that they will do everything they can to stop this process. If you can see ahead of time where things are going, you can stop yourself from indulging in their behavior. You will eventually get to this step if you follow along.
Related: 12 Manipulative Strategies Narcissists Use To Keep You Trapped
The hardest maneuver to avoid
Avoiding these behaviors is not rocket science. Of all the 12 maneuvers, it is number seven, or humanization, that most often convinces codependents/SLDs to stay.
When a narcissist gets to this step, they portray themselves as broken or suffering. Remember, they know the SLD is empathetic, and they know the SLD believes everyone deserves a chance, and everyone should be loved. This is what they prey on, the SLD’s compassion, tolerance, and acceptance of nature. They will reveal their child abuse, their underlying shame, the fact that they have no friends or their self-loathing. This is a recurring behavior, and I see it with many of my clients.
They will plead with the Left Democratic Party not to abandon them, which is as real as it is feigned. They are afraid of being abandoned, so you get to see their true human side. In people with personality disorders, this is when the window opens.
They start to connect to their attachment trauma, and you may start to see them as broken children. They make breach of what I call the separation barrier and connect with their inner wounded child.
When they fall from grace, dramatists are more likely to experience depression, crying fits, and desperation to change the story they have been victimized. On the other hand, narcissists may become angry, specific, and generally dumbfounded by negative public opinion. They were – up to this point – untouchable. If narcissists keep their negative self-image hidden and shrouded in an exaggerated ego, dramatists wear their self-centered hearts on their sleeves.
Both narcissists and dramatists may use threats of suicide to gain attention or as a way to gain sympathy and forgiveness. No type of individual can have a normal relationship for too long.
The play annoys its partners with its rapid mood swings. Narcissists break their partners down with abuse and confrontation; Both ratings generally deplete the ability of friends and lovers to satisfy their great demands for attention.
Related: 5 Dating Deal Breakers You Should Never Ignore
Sex as a weapon
The main distinction between narcissism and narcissism is the use of sex. Narcissists are known to be more likely to cheat in their relationships, but dramatists are more openly sexually exploitative and provocative. The play uses sex and seduction to solve virtually any problem that arises and bring attention to it; Narcissists use their gender as a means of control.
The narcissist cheats because they feel they can deserve to, or need to do something in return. In contrast, a stage actor will engage in cheating to satisfy a desperate need for attention that he believes he is not getting from his partner. Regardless of whether a person is a narcissist or a dramatist, cheating is not their fault.
Jack remembers when he caught his ex-wife cheating. “She’d been cheating for years with different guys. She said it was because I didn’t pay enough attention to her and those guys did, and they made her feel pretty and worthy. The cheating was my fault because I didn’t make her feel pretty.”
In comparison, Anthony’s ex-wife tried to deny the accusations when presented with evidence of her cheating, but she also acted as the aggrieved party. Narcissists are expert liars and actors and can maintain their false personalities better and for longer periods than in theatrics. Eventually, Anthony recalls, she began bragging about her cheating rather than being embarrassed about it.
“Cheating wasn’t a character flaw in her; it was mine in a way. She used her to put me down and make herself the poor victim,” says Anthony.
Again, keep in mind that for a staged condition to be diagnosed, one must check a specific number of boxes of the diagnostic criteria. Being confident and in control of your sex life doesn’t make you theatrical; Likewise, being overly dramatic is also not a way to diagnose someone as being theatrical. Someone can be sexual and seductive without being theatrical, and not all cheaters have a histrionic personality disorder.
Narcissistic women are especially dangerous and use their sexuality as a weapon to cross the fine line between NPD and HPD. Role-playing narcissists use their seduction and even reproductive capabilities to control the relationship, maintain the upper hand, or simply harm someone.
