A person walks by with the most intimidating confidence, dressed like it's fashion week on a regular day, and approaches you with absolute certainty of what they want and who they are--a narcissist. Well, I just basically described myself in that sentence, for I know I'm a narcissist myself. Now, how exactly do you know if a person is a narcissist? Here's a list along with my personal stories:

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1. Competitive As Fuck

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Narcissists are so full of themselves that a threat to their position or their feeling of superiority bothers them. They don't enjoy shared spotlight especially if it's in a field they know they are really great at. What they enjoy is being compared to others and of course knowing that such comparison leads to being the one favored and worshiped.

When I was 13, I was constantly compared to a basic girl in my class (by my choice of adjective, you could tell I really feel superior over her), and I would always do things that would catch everyone's attention when the comparison favored her and I obviously wanted it to be in my side. Then there came a time that she was a little bit forgotten already and everyone started talking about me--how amazing I am blah blah blah (note the way I just described my part). Until now, whenever I see her I feel like I'm a winner parading my trophy to a loser.

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2. Ego Issues

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Obviously, people who love themselves hold a certain pride within them that could be their own destruction or if unlucky, yours. See, narcissists have fragile egos despite being known for being self-centered, because they never believe that they are enough--that they need to be more. This is why a simple poke on that pride, and a narcissist gets on that beast mode to work harder or harshly shut your mouth up. There is no in between.

Like what I said about how it feels like when I see the girl compared to me before, yes it may not mean much but to my ego, any sense of winning is a food for it.

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3. Grand Everything

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Narcissists like to show off because it allows them to have people react to what they do, what they represent, or what represents them, and of course they expect it to be a feeling of envy to put a crown on top of their big heads. They want to stand out, so they always make it a point to leave an impression or make history may it be a personal achievement or a party they're hosting.

I t started when I was a kid, I was always dressed up as that girl who would catch everyone's attention. I had always been that little girl who wore nice dresses and eye-catching accessories that everyone in the room would always look at me with fondness and even pay me compliments if they just couldn't help it. I enjoy moments like this that's why I still to dress to impress and make sure I do it in a way that would both have everyone's eyes on me and put me in a certain pedestal above others (basic others).

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4. Others are Others

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Others, meaning anyone that's not the self is something a narcissist would never give a damn about especially when there is an expected empathy from them when the fact is they simply enjoy others' downfall. Of course, that doesn't include people they like like family or a significant other unless these people are pissing them off as well in a way that they threaten the pride of the narcissist. If that were the case, then in the solid idea of others in the narcissists' part, the suffering of these people becomes strength.

When people in my class fail, and God knows how a lot of people believe in helping each other, I feel a sense of joy. I find satisfaction knowing that others are sinking while I'm still out sailing. I could care less what they do or how they feel, but always, knowing that they're feeling inferior makes me feel good about myself.

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5. Wise Old Man

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This personality archetype according to Carl Jung is that part in all of us that feel like we have so much knowledge to impart to others that we enjoy speaking up or giving advice as if we were Aristotle or some old preacher in a church. Narcissists tend to activate this archetype a lot as they enjoy giving advice even when not asked or sharing knowledge about almost every matter brought up in the table even if it's really not necessary.

As a narcissist with a love for speaking in front of people, I admit that whenever my friends and I talk, I tend to always share experiences or thoughts about the topics they bring up even if I don't really care about them or the matter being discussed. I simply like the fact that I know a lot about everything and I have an audience to know all about it even though they may have already known right from the beginning, and it's obviously the case with my friends.

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6.Power, Power, Power, and More Power

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In the world of narcissism, with great power probably comes a great ego. Take Donald Trump for example--he's got power so he's got this annoying ego and sense of entitlement. A narcissist is obsessed with power and it is obviously related to the fact that they carry with them a really fragile yet superior ego--whichever comes as the cause or the effect. This is basically the best way to sum it all up about narcissistic people--they want to rule.

Topics about power as in history related to it, philosophical readings, etc. all fascinate me as I obviously love being in control or feeling like I am It because I have power over myself and of course others. Also, I come from a family with highly activated wise old man archetypes with clear intentions of using it to rule and not to simply express their greatness, and I'm pretty sure I identify with that.

img sources:

• Chess
• Ego
• Gatsby
• You can't sit with us
• Wise old man
• Fist