Articles About Narcissism in Relationships

The Narcissist’s Compartmentalized Life – Part 2/2

Although narcissists are famous for lacking a moral compass and the ability to show true human emotion, it’s their ability to understand it all that amazes me. In this article, Part 2 of my series on a narcissism and compartmentalization, I’m going to give you my theory on how a narcissist (or sociopath) actually does

Narcissists & the Compartmentalized Life (Part 1/2)

By Zari Ballard32 Comments

Welcome to my two-part article series on compartmentalization as it relates to narcissism in relationships. This article, Part 1, will describe the psychological mechanism of compartmentalization and how narcissists use it to juggle multiple relationships and situations without having his/her worlds collide. I believe that an understanding of this narcissistic tactic is vital to our

Is the Narcissist Happy Now? (A Reality Check)

By Zari Ballard308 Comments

When we leave a narcissist or the narcissist discards us, there’s always the worry that he/she will move on to become a different person. Although we know he’s still an asshole, we imagine that he’s truly in love now and as happy as can be and we just don’t get it. Social media may even

Be (Narcissist) Free from Unhealthy Relationships

By Zari Ballard39 Comments

Breaking free from a narcissist is exceedingly difficult – more so than breaking away from any other type of toxic relationship. I can give you tips all day on how to do it but sometimes it takes an objective source to hit the nail on the head. Below is a copy of an article that

Getting Over the Narcissist: A Game of Postpone & Pretend

By Zari Ballard114 Comments

Getting over a relationship with a narcissist is never easy and the pain can linger with us for many weeks, months, and even years after if we allow it. The key is to NOT allow it and a recovery game I created called Postpone & Pretend is one surefire tool for doing this…for helping us

Narcissists & The Art of Future-Faking

By Zari Ballard95 Comments

Calling out a narcissist as a pathological liar is not as important as pin pointing the type of lying that he does that really cuts us to the core: future-faking. By this, I mean that the narcissist talks about or hints at a future together to get what he wants from us right now. Indeed,

Is Loving a Narcissist Our Fault? (Reconciling Blame)

By Zari Ballard7 Comments

When is loving a narcissist our fault and how do we reconcile the blame…clearly, two of the toughest questions that narcissist abuse victims struggle with. Part of the healing and recovery from narcissist abuse is our willingness to forgive ourselves for our own participation and I’m a firm believer that we have to do this.

The Narcissist’s Hoover & Our Conditioned Response

By Zari Ballard68 Comments

In relationships, the hoover maneuver is a narcissist’s claim to fame and there’s a simple reason for this: it rarely fails. This is fairly amazing given the fact that a hoover, by its narcissistic definition, is never a good thing and anybody who knows anything about narcissism knows this – including the recipient. Why knowing

Narcissistic Chaos – Creating Turmoil on Purpose

By Zari Ballard50 Comments

The narcissistic lover with a narcissistic personality will create chaos and turmoil on a regular basis (and on purpose) to keep you in a heightened state of anxiety. He/she will do this even when things are good – and especially when things are good – so that you least expect the kick to the curb.

Narcissistic Tactics (It’s All Smoke & Mirrors)

By Zari Ballard73 Comments

Everything a narcissist/sociopath says or does is a trick of smoke and mirrors – a narcissistic ploy – intended to distract from the reality of what he’s really up to. If you pay careful attention instead of reacting to his/her behaviors, you can turn these ploys into your advantage. Many of us already know that