We’ve all known someone we would describe as a narcissist, but have you heard about antagonistic narcissism? Narcissism is a spectrum disorder, and antagonistic narcissism has its own symptoms and challenges.
Montare Tucson provides structured care under one roof that changes how people with mental health disorders think, feel, and behave. Our team of licensed therapists provides multi-disciplinary care that helps people identify their challenges and triggers and make real progress. If you know someone who constantly criticizes others and has an inflated egotistical view of themselves, we can help. Our regime of focused therapies helps people with narcissism discover the convenience and beauty of a world in which they are not always the center.
Antagonistic narcissism is one of the types of narcissistic personality disorders. Narcissists are fixated on believing they are superior to all others and crave compliments and admiration from them. People with antagonistic narcissism have the additional behavior of antagonizing those around them and often are emotionally and physically abusive. They have no problem manipulating others with or without their knowing it and will exploit any situation they feel makes them look better or have more fanfare.
Living with antagonistic narcissism frustrates both the individual who has it and those around them. After all, no one can live up to their expectations of being constantly showered with compliments and affirmations that they are powerful and successful. On the surface, the individual may appear to be overfilled with self-confidence, however, beneath that exterior lies a person who fears they are not enough. As a result, they believe that if they use blustery, manipulative, and in-your-face behavior, it will cause others to provide them with the assurance of their own superiority they crave.
People often dismiss those with antagonistic narcissism as just being full of themselves, but the symptoms they exhibit indicate a much more serious problem. As well, those who know someone with this disorder often wonder why they developed it.
Common signs and symptoms of antagonistic narcissism to be on the lookout for include:
Experts cannot point to one specific event as the cause of developing antagonistic narcissism. Instead, a variety of things can contribute to a person developing it. For some, the issues have to do with genetics. Family members with personality disorders can pass on those traits through their genes to others in the family tree.
Additionally, the environment a person grows up in can greatly contribute to developing antagonistic narcissism. For example, parents who go to great lengths to shower their children with compliments and rewards not realistic to how the child behaves can contribute to the development of the disorder. As a result, a child who is spoiled constantly and doesn’t have to earn adoration may expect this to continue into adulthood.
On the other hand, children who are abused or neglected may grow up using unrealistic and unhealthy behaviors to try to earn the love and acceptance they lacked as kids. This is also true of children who were overly criticized and never developed healthy self-esteem.
If you know someone with antagonistic narcissism, you know how difficult it can be to interact with them. However, try using the following five approaches:
Traditional talk therapy helps people with antagonistic narcissism learn to identify their behaviors and minimize them. Additionally, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people recognize how they feel and think and connect that to how they behave. Similarly, Dialectical Behavior Therapy also helps people accept themselves where they currently are while setting goals they can reach to improve their actions and how they feel about themselves.
In addition, prescription medications can help this disorder or co-occurring ones like anxiety or depression.
If antagonistic narcissism has impacted your life either through your own behavior or that of a loved one, we can help. Montare Tucson treats a wide range of mental health disorders, including those on the spectrum of narcissism. Our experienced staff of therapists understands the challenge of minimizing the symptoms of this illness. We work with each person to meet them where they are and help them gain a more realistic view of themselves and the world around them.
Contact us today, and let’s talk about how we can help you. Our admissions staff line is friendly and confidential to make it easy for you to talk.
Published: 3/4/2025
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