Are You a Narcissist? 10 Red Flags to Watch For

Narcissism can be both a personality trait and a mental health condition. It is a spectrum that is extremely complicated. Narcissists have an extreme level of self-involvement, often disregard others and their feelings, and are not able to understand the effect their behaviour has on others. Are you worried that you might be a narcissist? Keep reading to learn about 10 red flags to watch for!

1. The Need for Control

A hallmark sign of narcissism is the need to control everything and for everything to go exactly the way the person wants. A narcissist is incredibly inflexible in how they view the world and what they view to be “right.”. Narcissists believe they are entitled to having their way and for things to always go their way. They believe their way is best. In addition, narcissists even believe that they must control how others perceive them to remain on top. 

How the Need for Control Presents in Daily Life:

• Micromanaging: If you’re constantly needing to be involved in every single detail of every situation or project, this can be a red flag. Narcissists want to run the show constantly. They believe their plan is the best plan, and that’s the one that they’ll enforce. It can be very hard to work with a narcissist, as they may resort to belittling people to make them do what the narcissist believes is right.
• Perfectionism: When absolutely everything needs to be completed a specific way and the project must be finished the way they envision, this is a red flag. Narcissists may also excessively criticize others to make them execute the plan the way they see fit.
• Dominance: Narcissists will use intimidation, aggression, and/or manipulation to get what they want when they want it without giving any thought to anyone else or how their actions and words will affect anyone else.

2. Very Selfish

If you find that you’re very selfish or people tell you that you’re self-centred, it could be an indicator of narcissism. Narcissists are incredibly self-centred. They put their own needs ahead of everyone’s, regardless of what is going on. They’ll take advantage of others to get what they want, and they’ll even sabotage another’s success when they’re feeling envious. Narcissists only think of themselves and are not empathetic to personal stories or feelings whatsoever.

3. Manipulative

Do you think you’re a manipulative person? Manipulation is a major red flag of narcissism. Narcissists manipulate others to satisfy their need to maintain control and a sense of superiority over others. 

What Does Manipulation Look Like From a Narcissist?

• Blame shifting: Narcissists will often create scenarios and blame others for their own actions, leaving them feeling small and questioning their self-worth, making them more likely to fall in line and listen to the narcissist.
• Love bombing: Love bombing happens at the beginning of a romantic relationship. The narcissist will overwhelm the other person with gifts and affection to gain control.
• Silent treatment: Narcissists will ignore people to maintain control and make other people question their self-worth.
• Emotional blackmail: Narcissists will use other people’s emotions against them and threaten to harm themselves or others to make them do what they want. 

4. The Need for Constant Attention

Narcissists have a desire to constantly be the centre of attention. They have a deep need for attention and admiration. They are exceptionally skilled at making every show all about them, whether it’s because they’re hijacking it or writing the script themselves. Narcissists need to be coddled, flattered, and the sole focus of everything. 

5. Not Able to be Empathetic

Narcissists find it challenging to see and care about things from other people’s perspectives. They are solely focused on their own needs, feelings, and desires; everything else is last to them. This can make a significant impact on relationships and interactions.

6. Have Jealousy Issues

A common trait among narcissists is that they have a lot of jealousy issues. Narcissists crave admiration and attention. They often feel that they are entitled and should have the best of everything. When they deem someone else to be superior, either smarter, more attractive, or more wealthy, they grow envious and may try to sabotage them to bring them down and build themselves up. 

7. High Sense of Self-Importance

To a narcissist, they are the centre of the world. All the time and in every situation. They believe themselves to be superior to everyone and feel that their needs, wants, and goals are of more importance than anything else. 

8. Belief of Superiority

Narcissists hold themselves above everyone else. They have an inflated ego and put themselves on a pedestal much higher than anyone else. And, if for one second they are feeling not in control or not at the top, they’ll just belittle and bully others to diminish their own self-worth, dim their light, and the narcissist ends up back on top again.

9. Sense of Entitlement

A narcissist believes the world owes them something. They typically have a strong sense of entitlement and are very egotistical. Because in their world they are the best and they are at the top of the food chain, that means everyone else owes them. They might also feel like they’re deserving of more in life than what they have and feel that others should go out of their way to help them just because of who they are. 

10. Must be Admired

Narcissists need to be admired. If they’re not feeling the admiration, they may insult or berate others so that they slowly feel worse about themselves and start to admire the narcissist. The need for admiration is huge and integral to the make-up of a narcissist.

Final Thoughts

These 10 red flags are integral when it comes to narcissists. They tend to be very controlling, selfish, and manipulative and must be the centre of attention at all times. Narcissists are not empathetic and have a high sense of self-importance. They believe they are the end all be all. We hope that you’ve learned about the red flags of narcissism so you can spot them and make changes wherever needed. Narcissists can be helped, but they need to be willing. Bookmark this page to refer back to easily to stay fresh with red flags of narcissism.