An intimate relationship is supposed to be a safe space. You enter into this partnership with another person to gain a sense of support, trust, respect, and safety.
It should be something filled with love, fulfillment, and personal growth. Unfortunately, if you end up in a relationship with someone who demonstrates narcissistic behaviors, your experience may be far from the idealistic dream. Even worse, you could end up with mental or emotional wounds that influence how you view your world.
Understanding Narcissistic Behaviors in Relationships
A narcissistic relationship is often characterized by a power and empathy imbalance. A person in the relationship demonstrates narcissistic traits falling somewhere on a spectrum.
A few key characteristics of narcissistic relationships include:
Limited Empathy: A partner does not provide validation for the other’s needs.
Inflated Self-Importance: One person feels the need to command constant attention or prioritizes themselves above others.
Entitlement: One person believes they deserve special treatment or expects it nonetheless.
Exploitation: A person uses the relationship in a one-sided way with little benefit to the other person.
Manipulation: One partner uses various tactics to sway more favorable outcomes in their direction.
Narcissistic relationships don’t typically start as problematic. Each person is on their best behavior, trying to win over the other. There’s generally an admiration and lust period before the true colors start to creep out.
The relationship will become harmful in the long run as patterns of behavior shift and become more destructive.
The Psychological Impact
One of the biggest pitfalls of a narcissistic relationship is the decline in identity, independence, and worth. Receiving constant or long-term criticism can leave you feeling low. The use of manipulation tactics can result in internalized negativity.
Over time, you may begin to experience difficulty in expressing your needs and desires, trouble enforcing boundaries that protect your self-worth, and lower self-confidence. Narcissism may also have you believing these falsehoods about yourself.
Individually, any of these can leave you feeling less than. Together, they can contribute to a decline in your overall mental health and well-being.
Decline in Mental Health
When in a narcissistic relationship, you’re more likely to develop anxiety or depressive disorders, which can significantly reduce your quality of life. Your mind and body are in a constant state of defense or hypervigilance. Your nervous system becomes overworked at the feeling of having to walk on eggshells or fear that you’re going to do something wrong.
In some instances, the anxiety that ensues can be more rooted in social situations, leading to isolation and deeper negative feelings. Panic disorders are also a common development, which can fuel social isolation or avoidant behaviors.
Strain on Relationships
Being involved in a narcissistic relationship can have an unhealthy impact on your ability to maintain other current relationships and any future connections you may make. The thoughts you’re made to believe leave you feeling low self-worth, which can make forming meaningful relationships more difficult.
You may experience difficulty with opening up and being vulnerable. Since trust is a two-way street, you’re less likely to get it when you’re not giving it. Constant criticism and feeling invalidated lead to fears of intimacy. This may hold long after the narcissistic relationship ends.
A narcissistic relationship leads to patterns of behavior. As this type of behavior becomes more “normal,” you may experience a challenge in differentiating healthy behaviors from unhealthy behaviors in others.
Finding Recovery
Whether you’re in a narcissistic relationship or trying to find healing afterwards, it is possible to discover yourself again. This path is easier when walking it with a therapist.
Together, we can reestablish healthy boundaries and re-identify what your true reality is. We can work on building your self-confidence and self-worth. Are you ready to get started? Reach out to set up your first appointment for relationship therapy.