Why do so many of us late-diagnosed Autistic folks bristle when we hear people talk about narcissism? In this video, I share a deep dive into my relationship with Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the process I've been undertaking to unpick all of my layers.
The word 'Autism' comes from the Greek word Autos which means self or individual. To me, Autism feels like I am orientated inwards rather than outwards. That I'm more self than relationship focused.
Narcissism exists on a spectrum from healthy levels all the way through to Narcissistic Personality Disorder. This disorder is characterised by a self-centred attitude resulting in the individual typically meeting their own needs at the expense of others.
People qualified to judge whether someone has NPD often start their exploration by examining behaviours (what we do) and attitudes (those typically being shaped by our values).
One of the reasons I’m drawn to psychology is because it typically starts with pattern-seeking. I’ve mentioned before that we humans are wired for perception (what we think will happen) rather than reality (what is happening). Another reason for my interest is my intellectualised orientation towards relationships. I guess you could say I have both a scientific interest and detachment from them for the most part.
Behaviour that fits with our values and attitudes is classified as egosyntonic. People who tick this box are highly unlikely to think of themselves as needing psychological help regardless of what other people tell them or how other people experience them.
The opposite of that is egodystonic behaviour or, behavioural patterns that we don’t like, that don’t align with our values or perception of ourselves. In this example, people might try and hide the behaviours they don’t like or try and convince the people around them that their distasteful behaviour is outside of their control - they may try to blame others, their circumstances, the system or something else.
Come with me as I try and work out what's going on for me and why I still find talk about Narcissism triggering.
Links to the resources I've used in this video in terms of Content Creators and personality disorder patterns are as follows:
1) Insight, Exposing Narcissism by Katie McKenna & Helen Villiers / @insight-exposingnarci...
2) Surviving Narcissism by Dr C & his dog Guss
/ @survivingnarcissism
3) OCPD from Psych Central psychcentral.c...
4) International OCD Foundation iocdf.org/wp-c...
5) Dr Todd Grande and his content in general but in particular his work on explaining personality disorders / @drgrande
30 сен 2024
