Beyond understanding

Narcissists and Socio/Psychopaths are all variations of the same monster.... here is a link to Hervey Cleckley's groundbreaking book The Mask of Sanity, which costs hundreds of dollars in print, if you can even locate a copy, but has been made available in PDF form, free of charge.... www.cassiopaea.org/cass/sanity_1.PdF

To be fair to the authors, the book is split into 4 categories of personality types: incompatible personality traits, frustrating and annoying personality patterns, confusing personality types, and DAMAGING personalities. This last one is split further into: the passive aggressive personality, the bullying personality, and the sociopathic personality (which they admit is the closest you get to the concept of ‘evil’.) The sociopath is then split into: the con man and the chameleon (the narcissist). For a general laymen’s guide to the different types of personalities I felt it was interesting and informative, but it is not a book which deals solely with the narcissist or sociopathic character. Please hold thumbs for me – I enquired whether Sandra L. Brown’s book, ‘How to Spot a Dangerous Man’ was available from the biggest book store in the country and there are only two available, both on order ... but one of them may become available to me late tomorrow afternoon if it is not collected by then… Also, ‘It’s All About Him’ by Lisa E. Scott is not even on their list of titles…!!! I don’t own a credit card by choice, so am going to ask a friend to kindly bring me a copy when she visits later next month from abroad.

in several places..but not written by experts on Narcs or Psychopaths..and i personally don't believe it...Narcs are simply less turbo charged socio/psychopaths.....and here is what Dr. Robert Hare, the consummate expert has to say.... The sociopath is essentially a hollow shell. According to Robert Hare, an expert on psychopathy, they are "not fragile" -- their character is "set in stone" for life. "They are not "fragile" individuals, quite the opposite. All they do in therapy is go through the motions and collect new excuses and rationalisations for their behaviour and fresh insights into the vulnerabilities of others." Sociopaths rarely feel true happiness. If they do, it is usually in the condition that some kind of intervention -- such as one of the small number of medications made for other conditions that may also help somewhat with theirs -- has taken place, and it will be fleeting. For all their frantic racing around, they are really very dead inside, and this is beyond description. They turn to abusing those they envy. It is certainly vengeance: "If I can't have any of this, why should you?" This is the real reason sociopaths lash out at strong and kind people. No matter what they say, they know that inside, they are always empty and damaged beyond repair. i don't think they suffer from fragile ego...i think they suffer from total lack of a soul...which makes them MACHINES or MONSTERS, as opposed to living beings... i believe that they are well aware of what they are..and certainly don't want potential victims to DISCOVER it..and that is why they lash out..it's defense of COVER...not of ego.....

I have read this in several places now. The way I understand it is that the grandiose sense of self importance is the coping mechinism/defense they have created, the mask or false self if you will. They use the false self to bury thier true selfs which is the deep feelings of inadequacy and fragile or non existent self-esteem. I think it also explains why they freak out at the least bit of critisism cause it challenges the false self. I think they spend most of thier energy making sure they never have to look at themselves for who they truly are, pieces of garbage. It's like the bully. You look at the bully and you see what they want you to see, the tough, meen, sadistic, agressive piece of crap they are. But if you stand up to them they become scared, babbling, pathetic creatures. Again one could ask "How is it that these two seemingly mismatched traits appear together? It’s mad." Come to think of it, aren't N's exactly that, bullies?

No, it wasn't Vaknin ( I now try steer clear of all narcissists) - it was in a book 'Difficult Personalities' by Dr. Helen McGrath & Hazel Edwards.

these bastards are the TERMINATOR.... the have no SOUL...they are NOT HUMAN... they are about as 'fragile' as your average 200 ton boulder!!!.. don't tell me....let me guess......Vaknin???? he's a PSYCHOPATH...of course he feels sorry for Narcs and Psychopaths!!..and attributes widdle feelings to himself and them that NONE of them actually have....

where did you read this? fragile self-esteem and deep feelings of inadequacy it's WAAAAY off base... like a lot of psychobabble about NPD ~~~~~~~~~ The world is a dangerous place, not only because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. - Albert Einstein Visit My Info. Website for Abuse Victims