Will I Get Treated Better When I'm Successful?

No matter WHAT a person accomplishes, the Narcissists in their life will behave as if it's 'nothing'. They wiil continue to simply NOT acknowledge the person, their efforts, skill, talent, work, or their achievements, big or small.

If there is a Narcissist in the life of any famous, very successful, or "genius" person you can think of, you can bet they're treating them the same way. (With the exception of Narcissists who are trying to get something from them with flattery.)

Real friends are real friends, no matter how poor or rich, how famous or unknown we are, or how much success we have seen (or not).

"What's that? You won something? Oh for that little movie you made, haha, what was it called? Star something... you had some kind of giant teddy bear thing in it, right? And that guy with the mask, yeah my friend Bob makes masks like that, only his are really detailed... So I took my car into the shop today and I'm gonna need you to give me a ride when they call... What party.. what do you mean an award ceremony, why can't they just mail it to you? No I don't wanna dress up for a stupid party...I'm not paying for a cab, just make sure you're around today, I'm sure the party can wait."




Anxiety, Depression, and Feeling Ineffective

Feeling "ineffective" is one of the contributors to anxiety and depression.

One feels like they aren't really capable of contributing, of helping, of making a difference, of achieving, of building, of success, or of affecting positive change, either for themselves or others.

Projecting "incapable" and "ineffective" onto a Target is a behavior found in Narcissistic abuse.

Freedom Of Speech


Rejection


Six Things You Should Quit To Be More Successful

Be Who You IS : Recovery

A large part of Recovery is learning to "be yourself", either again or for the first time, and do what makes you "you", regardless of the lack of acknowledgement, praise, approval, or even basic courtesy and respect from people around you.

They don't seem to like that you love to play music, do it anyway.
YOU love to play music, that's what's important.

They don't seem to like you going to back to college? Do it anyway. Learning more about what you're interested in is a healthy interest and activity.

They don't like your career pursuits? (crime or putting others in danger notwithstanding)  Do it anyway. You are the one who is living your one and precious life, not them.

They don't seem to like or approve of your caring for children, animals, "the needy", abuse victims, or the ill or handicapped? Do it anyway. They apparently don't share or understand your compassion, so what, you probably don't understand their LACK of compassion or care, either. It's your life, do what you need to do, what you want to do, what you feel is right.

They don't like your skills, hobbies, or interests because it doesn't line up with their expectations of you as a man, or you as a woman? Or you as whatever your body type and size is, or your race, or your coloring?
DO IT ANYWAY.
DO PROTECT yourself from narcissistic behavior such as sabotage, threats, and attack, because it's common for Narcissists to actually feel threatened by those who don't abide by their biased expectations toward race, sex, or even body type.
(They want the behavior to match their expectations of others based on the way a person looks; if it doesn't, they can actually feel threatened and react. Don't let this STOP YOU from being your authentic self. Just have awareness. If you feel threatened, remember it's about THEM, not you, and you can feel justified in leaving their "reach" or seeking allies so you can continue pursuing your interests.)

They try to shut down your voice, your expression, your opinion? Do it anyway, and maybe do it louder and more clearly.
Ask yourself this: do they try to ridicule or shut down anyone else's 'voice'? How would they react if you, or someone else, did or said the same things to them?
We all make mistakes in judgment, and none of us know everything, in fact most of us know very little~
so there is NO ONE who's voice, opinion, and observations will be "correct" all the time, no matter how LOUD they talk, or how successful, wealthy, or famous they are. If they're not getting "shut down", then there's no validity to shutting you down, even if something you said wasn't "perfect".
(All you need to do is read many famous song lyrics to drive this point home. Listening to the radio (DJ's and talk radio hosts), and watching a LOT of television shows also demonstrates this point very clearly.)

Learning to BE OURSELVES regardless of the reactions, lack of acknowledgement, lack of approval or even attempts to stop us is a very important part of Recovery.







"Be who you is, cuz if you be what you ain't, then you ain't what you is."


About Diagnoses, Human Health, Psychiatry, and Compartmentalization

neu·rol·o·gy 
n.
The medical science that deals with the nervous system and disorders affecting it.

psy·chi·a·try 
n.
The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders.

an·thro·pol·o·gy  (nthr-pl-j)
n.
1. The scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans.

psy·chol·o·gy  (s-kl-j)
n. pl. psy·chol·o·gies
1. The science that deals with mental processes and behavior.
2. The emotional and behavioral characteristics of an individual, group, or activity

med·i·cine  (md-sn)
n.
1.
a. The science of diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease and other damage to the body or mind.
b. The branch of this science encompassing treatment by drugs, diet, exercise, and other nonsurgical means.


One may wonder why these five things are not automatically cooperatively tied together when diagnosing and testing a patient. And one would be right to wonder.

Don't blame all doctors, therapists, or scientists; many of them wonder the same thing.

Many feel frustrated, and feel like their "hands are tied", how does one keep one's career intact and fight political and control agendas at the same time?

Political agendas have a lot to do with it, as does the arrogance and ignorance of certain individuals in several related or connected fields, including insurance, administration, and government, and not excluding colleges and universities.

The science of treating the health of a human being can not and should not be compartmentalized as if all the fields are isolated and not related to one another. That would be like building a rocket or a space shuttle with each contributor, each specialty, each engineer, each physicist, each administrator, and each scientist NOT collaborating or communicating, cooperating, or comparing notes with one another, simply working on their own "thing" in isolation, or just barely communicating with one another, and then expecting the shuttle to just WORK.  
That would be insane, terribly dangerous, and a huge waste of time and money. The odds of the rocket or shuttle being constructed properly and safely would be nil.

Even building a small house is a cooperative effort between all of the specialized subcontractors.

Investigations into something that went "wrong" in either a shuttle OR a house is also a cooperative effort; you don't JUST investigate the plumbing, or JUST the electrical system. And then if there's nothing wrong there, just claim that there's nothing wrong at all (while the floor caves in or a fire starts in a wall.)

If a person is diagnosed with "Borderline Personality Disorder", for example, how many neurological tests using the latest equipment and knowledge were conducted BEFORE they were put on serious medication, or given ECT (shock) treatments?

Was their family dynamic fully investigated and reviewed? Their medical records, their full history?

What about the rest of their physical health? Were they fully examined? (Were they given one of those superficial 'exams' where their heartbeat and lungs were listened to and their basic vitals taken, but nothing further?)

Was anything at all investigated before the patient was given the diagnosis, besides a couple of visits to a psychologist or psychiatrist?
Or are they being stamped with a stigmatic label, given serious medication, and/or given shock treatments based on less real information than a person would have to give to obtain a mortgage?

HOW MUCH investigation was done on the patient, the patient's environment both physical and human, the patient's overall physical health, the patient's cultural upbringing and ancestry, and the patient's full history, BEFORE the diagnosis and treatment?

(Implying that any person who is not a professional psychiatrist, neurologist, medical doctor or government official has no right to ask these questions, and has no idea what they're talking about, IS, actually, a Narcissistic defensive reaction, as is coming up with justifications for the way things are. The health and life of an individual Human Being is much, much more important than administrative hurtles, professional reputations, the career trajectory of an individual, a person's ego and identity as an Expert, poltical and government agendas, or the money a person, an institution, or a company makes.)

About Narcissism In General

Those with Narcissism don't try to make, maintain, or repair connections with others unless they're motivated by gain or fear. The concern for another's well-being, for no other reason than the person's well-being, is not in their schedule.

Nor is protecting another, helping another, standing up for another, or supporting another, for any reason other than their own gain or defense.

Many who are afflicted with Narcissism for whatever reason will project their own perceptions and motives onto others, apparently believing that everyone has the same self-serving-based agenda, and that no one is genuinely altruistic or empathetic, and that everyone is always motivated only by gain or fear.
Ironically, without the ability empathize, they are not able to imagine having a different point of view than their own, or that it's possible to have a different point of view than their own and not be "crazy" or "wrong".

The ability to empathize has been linked to specific grey matter areas in the brain, and the presence of "mirror neurons'. So technically, a lack of mirror neurons in a person's brain is neurological, not psychiatric, and should be taken much more seriously by the larger scientific and medical community.
BUT, probably won't be, since the goals of Narcissists within science and medicine are often to occupy positions of authority and control. In other words, a Narcissist who gains the power to divert or shut down research on the neurology of Narcissism would, of course, do just that, to protect themselves.





Normal Frustration Reaction Or Something Deeper

There are a lot of people who don't display traits or behaviors that seem dysfunctional, abusive, or Narcissistic until they're in a situation that "tests" their ability to empathize, care for others, or be responsible for someone or something. Many of us who have anxiety issues are aware of a similar issue; no anxiety at all, calm confidence and even-keeled focus until we find ourselves suddenly dealing with a certain situation or circumstance.
For most of us, fortunately, we can heal our 'dysfunctions' or 'issues' when we find out that we have them, and often a situation that we find difficult to deal with is just a matter of our needing more experience or understanding.
But for some people, the behaviors and 'issues' that seem to suddenly appear when they're dealing with a specific situation is not simply an emotional or anxious reaction to difficulty that will get better when they get a handle on themselves or on the situation. Rage and aggression toward others, cruelty, deliberate sabotage, deliberate slander or libel, threatening another with bodily harm, removal of another person's shelter or resources, restriction of another adult's freedom, physically restraining or controlling another adult, aggression toward a child, elder, or ill, injured, or 'handicapped' person, or deliberate abandonment are some of the behaviors that are not simply 'emotional reactions' to difficulty or frustration. The reasons behind these behaviors vary, but they aren't just 'frustration'. They're signals that there is something deeper going on with the person.
We should not, however, jump to conclusions about what the person's "issues" actually are. What looks like PTSD at first could turn out to be brain damage, or what we think is Narcissism could turn out to be PTSD, etc., etc.  What we can do, however, is make sure that we are safe, and that others around the person are safe, especially children, elderly people, and anyone else who might not be able to defend themselves against the person's behaviors.
When we're sure we're safe, then we can contact professional physicians, psychologists, or psychiatrists about the person's behaviors, (preferably a person whom we already know and trust to be objective, professional, helpful and competent.)

Hypocrisy Vs. Stupidity


'Hypocrisy' is when a husband whines at his wife for spending the same amount of money on wine as he spends on beer.
 

'Stupidity' is when the husband buys into believing that because she's a woman, she's not going to like the beer.


'Hypocrisy' is when a female employer who 'fought sexism to get to the top' only hires women she doesn't think are attractive, and men she is attracted to.

'Stupidity' is when that female employer thinks that no one noticed.


'Hypocrisy' is when a person who protests racism treats only members of his or her own race with respect, decency, and courtesy.

'Stupidity' is when that person thinks there's nothing hypocritical about their behavior.


'Hypocrisy' is when a religion calls for humility as the cornerstone of its belief system, and then builds a hierarchy with positions of status, and calls the members of one race or sex 'superior' over others.

'Stupidity' is the failure to make the connection about why it's hypocritical, or why hypocrisy matters.

Humility

Humility is the single most difficult thing for a human being to achieve, or if and when we do achieve it, maintain it for any length of time.

 If you want to test yourself, just pick out a few complete strangers, or a few acquaintances, and then just briefly jot (write) down what you think you understand that they can't possibly understand.
Jot down what you think their intelligence level is, and their natural abilities.
Jot down what you think their political views are, and their beliefs.
Jot down what you think their education level is.
Jot down what you think their basic life experiences have been up to now.

After you're finished, read over your list.
Ask yourself why you think you know these things
about people you don't know.

Most of us think very, very highly of our ability to assess other people, both those we "know", and those we don't "know".  And we don't even care about finding out whether we're right or not, we just believe whatever we tell ourselves about other people, and treat them accordingly.


We humans were born with an instinct for self-preservation, and a feeling of satisfaction from dominating objects and mastering tasks.

We were also born with an instinct to eat living things. Nothing, except for water, was not alive before we consumed it, and so we must feel that we have the right to kill what was alive in order to sustain ourselves, in order to survive. Many humans are in denial about it, but it's a fact. Humans can not live on stones, crystals, or air molecules, or on water alone. Therefore we must dominate other living things in order to live ourselves, like nearly every other creature on Earth.

We were also born as social animals who naturally live in groups to survive, just like Chimpanzees, our closest relative. Because of this, we tend to create clans and tribes.
Within these clans we tend to create hierarchies similar to Chimpanzees, even though we don't need to. Because our intellect is high enough that we can achieve the maturity to live in full cooperation with, and support of, every member.

And yet, most humans do not let their intellect lead them, but instead their neuro-chemistry which gives them little squirts of feel-good chemicals when they dominate something or someone, or when they THINK they're dominating something or someone.

We are, as a species, evolved enough to control ourselves and live intelligently, in cooperation, peace, and support.

And yet, there are so many individuals within the species who follow the trail that getting high on their own chemicals leads them, that they sabotage that goal, constantly.

Humility is the requirement for the goal of peace.

But there are too many human individuals who would rather get high on hormones and neurotransmitters than have peace.



Neurotransmitters

Disagreement And Being RIGHT

Just because you don't agree with someone doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it mean they're right. It doesn't mean anything except that you are each looking at the same thing from different points of view. The 'truth' isn't subject to your opinion or point of view, or to the other person's; it remains regardless of who is trying to see it through their myopic and fuzzy human vision.

Now That's Funny! Laughing In The Face Of Control Freaks: Bugs Bunny's Best Bits

Here's one of the things that happened in the nineties:
television was taken over by a couple of "moguls", and intelligent dry humor shows (like Looney Tunes, among others) that laughed in the face of greed, ego, and control-freakism was, of course, removed and buried. So, anyone too young to know any differently did NOT watch hilarious, light hearted, dry-witted cartoons in the mornings or on Saturday, accompanied by elaborate musical orchestration, and therefore were not exposed to the wonderful lessons about Ego, Control, Boundaries, and NOT taking themselves (or others) SO SERIOUSLY. 

Instead, they were exposed to shows who's main characters had ego issues and took everything as some kind of giant world-ending mission, with no light heartedness or ability to DEAL WITH ADVERSITY in sight. We had those too, but we also had THESE to help us learn to LAUGH, and WHAT TO TAKE SERIOUSLY, and what NOT TO TAKE SERIOUSLY. 
OBVIOUSLY, that's been lost in our cultures in a BIG WAY. 

Kids who did learn the lessons, or who did get to see these shows regularly, were lucky.



Someone explain to me why people keep putting other humans on pedestals like they're gods? What is this, Greek Mythology?
Almost everyone has a politician that they think is some kind of super-hero or prophet, or if not a politician then an actor, a talk show host, or a musician, and everything that person says and does is WONDERFUL and PERFECT and HIGH ABOVE everyone else... Great Leader... Savior... who never has an errant or silly thought or makes wrong decisions...

But so then they have to have VILLAINS who are the "enemy", or the nemesis of their prophet/super-hero/chosen one... 

Seriously, what is the freaking deal?
Too many Super Hero movies or Cowboy TV shows?
Cop shows?
Soaps?
Iron Man movies?
Too many Charlton Heston films?
Maybe it's from CSI...
Maybe it's CARTOONS or Anime.


Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tune buddies used to make huge fun of hero-worship, now those were some funny freaking cartoons.

Good grief, human beings are JUST HUMAN BEINGS.
There's no Great Leader who's the Savior Of The World, unless you're thinking of GOD, and God isn't a human, so...
What is so hard about accepting the fact that ALL humans are JUST HUMANS?
Same as you, me, and everyone else, no deities, no Angel-like savior, not a single one of us with "all the answers", and every single one of us making HUGE MISTAKES and errors in judgement, no matter how famous someone is or how dazzling someone's smile is.

....Or how they look so "rugged and wise" at the same time... Or how tall they are... or how nice their tie matches their big doe eyes... or that they're wearing those cool glasses... 

It's amazing to me how many poets, writers, songwriters and philosophers SAID NOT TO make them into "gods" or "saviors", not to put them up on pedestals, to PLEASE JUST HEAR what they were saying, and what do people do? They turn around and do exactly the opposite, making them into Idols instead of LISTENING to their message. Especially after the person dies. Extremely hypocritical and disrespectful to the person, ignoring what their WHOLE POINT was.
What is the point of hero-worshiping a person who's message was "Don't Hero-worship other human beings" ?!

(Oh and by the way, those of you who don't like it, who complain when other people post observations and opinions, LOL, who suddenly decide they "can't stand" a person because they don't align with your comfort zone... how about moving somewhere where there's no internet, Facebook, or free speech? You might be happier there. I'm sure they'll let you join the local government so you can help them tell people what to say, or how much and how often they should speak.)


You Should Express The Feelings I Want You To Express, Not Your Own Real Ones, Little Girl...

You Should Smile More! ...

"I’ve always found it really curious that most men, when confronted about this, will fall back on claiming that they just wanted to compliment her. They don’t see that trying to make someone smile is an attempt to control her. And while they usually deny any sexual component to their actions, I can’t help but notice how much more often it happens to women that these guys find attractive. If the frequency and tone of your compliments correlates with how attractive you think someone is, you don’t get to pretend that there’s nothing sexual about your motivations, whether you actually want to have sex with her or not. Expecting women you think are attractive to perform femininity for you is one of the many sexist microagressions that reinforce gender inequities. Stop it. You’re making the world a worse place."


Charlie Glickman talks about the difficulty many men have with managing their own emotions, and the expectation that women will do it for them.


Competing For The "Good Person" Badge

When we think of being a "good person", we tend to imagine that everyone holds about the same picture 
of what that means in their
 imaginations. 



But the truth is, every one of us holds a
 unique mental image
  of what being a "good person" looks and sounds like. 


Most of us do share a few basic opinions and expectations about it. 


But if every person were to write their own list, in order, of all  the things that make a 
"good person",

without peeking at the lists of others, 


every person would have written down a unique list of 

traits, behaviors, and beliefs. 


Certainly many things on those lists might be the same, 

but that's not the same thing as being 

identical.



So... who's list would be the right list?

Mine?

Yours?

My grandmother's?

Your cousin's?

The minister at the Baptist Church,
or the priest at the Catholic Church,
or the pastor at the Lutheran Church?

Do we really believe that our own list, 
(or any other human's), 
would be the same as God's?

Or even that our list would be identical
to someone else's, 
living or dead,
human or not,
whom we admire or look up to?  

What about the Tibetan monks who live in the next town, is one of theirs the right list?

How about the person with the most sobriety time at the local AA? They're a good candidate.

What about the first grade teacher down the street, or the baseball coach on the other block?

How about the cleaning staff at the local hospital?
What about the nurses there?

The doctors?

How about the President of the US? 
The Prime Minister of another country?



If everyone's list is unique,
(when they don't peek at the lists of others), 

(and they would be), 


then which person gets the "BEST GOOD PERSON" Award?
 



Are we still in the running for the award if we resent other people, envy them, or judge them critically?

 



Perhaps, there is a lesson there for each of us.


And what lesson would that be?



 It would be for each of us to figure out for ourselves.






Important People

You are one of the capable people.
And so am I.


You are one of the people who's observations are worthy.
So am I.

You are one of the people who matter.
So am I.

Your plans are in the "important plans" category.
So are mine.

You are one of the people who is capable of expertise.
So am I.

You are one of the people who is experienced and knowledgeable.
So am I.

You are one of the people who learns whatever skill you actually focus on.
So am I.

You are one of the people who's talent is a gift to the world.
So am I.

You are one of those people who others want around.
So am I.

You are one of the people who's self-care is very important.
And so am I.

You are one of the people who deserves to be treated with fairness and justice.
And so am I.

You are one of the people who has natural spirituality.
And so am I.

You are one of the people who is capable of separating your emotional reactions from your behavior and actions.
And so am I.

You are one of the people who has strength of spirit, of heart, and of mind.
And so am I.

I am one of the people who gets on other people's nerves sometimes, not because I treat them poorly or ignore common courtesy and respect toward them, but because I'm more focused on living my real life than on fitting in... which is perfectly normal and healthy "human".
Most likely, so are you.

I am one of the people who makes mistakes, and who has the right and privilege of making mistakes, owning them, laughing about them or not, and learning from them.

~Who forgets things, and has the right and privilege of allowing for and openly viewing my mistakes and imperfections, because I'm an organic, living human person, not a robot.
~Who can't see every possible future outcome, because it's not possible for a human, and therefore can not make the actual "best decision" or "perfect choice"; there will always, always be consequence to any decision or choice I make, and every decision, including refusing to make a decision, leads to something else that's unforeseeable, for good or for ill; usually both.

I am one of those people, and so are you.


I am one of those people who has the ability to cause pain, sadness, heartbreak, frustration, and anxiety for others, whether I intend to or not; I am one of the people with that kind of 'power'.
I have the right and privilege to feel guilt or remorse, for intended or unintended hurts toward others.
I have the right and freedom to recognize and admit hurts I have caused toward others, to apologize, to make amends. 

I am one of those people, and so are you.


I am one of those people who has the privilege to stand up for themselves when someone else is behaving unfairly, inconsiderately, or with hostility toward me.

And so are you.


I am one of those people who has the right and privilege to privacy, to autonomy, to make my own decisions and choices, and to live my own, authentic life.

And so are you.

My emotions are all real and valid, and my opinions and preferences are my own, and not subject to anyone else's control or dictation.

And so are yours.

I am one of the people who is capable of seeing things from several points of view.

And so are you.

I am one of the people who has lived through chaos, trauma, abuse and injustice, and has survived to tell about it, and will keep on surviving, learning and learning about myself and the world around me, learning and learning about how to LIVE and FIND PEACE and JOY in a world that's filled with unequal amounts of ridiculous, unnecessary ugliness from my own species, and spectacular, incredible beauty both from my own species and the rest of all there is.

I am one of those people who has learned and is still learning that there is much more beauty in this world than ugliness, it's all around me and within me, all of the time.
I am one of those people who has learned and is still learning to remember that I have full access to to that eternal, ever-present beauty, all of the time, no matter what else is happening. 

And so are you.

~<3 p="">


~M.Black 2014





 

Negative Feedback Loop: Narcissistic Abuse

A negative feedback-loop is created when one is in any kind of relationship with a person who has narcissism. The feedback they give to a target is not reflective of what the target is actually doing and saying, nor is it reflective of the target's real character or person, nor of the target's real life. Feedback from a person with narcissism is often skewed in the negative, or they may purposely withhold feedback that would be considered normal.

So if a target was building a brick wall, the narcissist would not simply acknowledge it like a non-narc. would. They wouldn't say "Hey Sarah nice job on that wall. You look like you could use some iced tea!"

Instead, they might imply that the wall isn't plumb, or they might give Sarah "advice" (about anything at all that they can think of, from the way she's wearing her hair, to the kind of gloves she has on, to the brand of mortar, to the way she's mixing it, to a better way to lay the bricks).

They might imply that the project is silly, or in the wrong spot, or is going to get in the way of something else.

They might give "back-handed compliments", in order to get away with saying that they are shocked that 'weak, ignorant, lazy' Sarah could "pull off such a feat".

They might imply that Sarah isn't working fast enough (a favorite go-to insult; they may think it makes them sound grown-up  or more responsible or skilled compared to the target.)

They will probably bring up their uncle, cousin, friend from third grade, neighbor, or sister who's an "EXPERT MASON"... (implying that Sarah falls short of "expert" or "skilled", and that the person they're associating themselves with is much more experienced... regardless of the reality of either the other person's experience or Sarah's. An N. would do that regardless of Sarah's level of expertise, because reality is not a factor for them.).

They might talk down to her as if she's STUCK UP, because "she thinks she's so great", because she's doing something that they don't do, or don't know how to do.

They might keep interrupting her, again behaving as if she's lounging by the pool, trying to get her to perform other tasks.

Some N's would even physically sabotage the work, or try to push her out of the way in order to "prove" that they can do it better.

They might spread negative rumors that they simply make up,  having to do with Sarah building the wall.

Some N's might behave as if there IS NO WALL, and that Sarah is NOT in the middle of building a wall, and speak to her as if she's sitting with a drink by the pool (lazing around).

But what a person with Narcissism probably WON'T do is speak to Sarah in an accurate feedback exchange, which might sound something like the aforementioned phrasing, or maybe "Hey looks good! You want something to drink? If you need anything let me know!" (or even light banter, like "if you need anything, I'll be lounging by the pool..." would be nice, pleasant feedback.)

If Sarah asked them to count how many bags of mortar are left, they might purposely LIE, or just glance at the bags and give her a number. (Inaccurate feedback).
If Sarah asked them to hold the level, they might tip it just a little so it looks like the wall isn't straight.
If Sarah asked them what time the hardware store closes, they might make something up, but they probably would not give her the right time, UNLESS they were arguing with her about what time it closes.
If she asked them what they thought of the wall, they would probably NOT give her a straight, honest answer, they would probably criticize and make it negative, regardless of how good it actually looked. 

Neutral, accurate, respectful, and genuinely positive feedback is a rarity for a Narcissist.
Even if they do achieve it, they'll often get some kind of criticism, advice, or control comment in there right afterward. 

It doesn't have to take prolonged exposure to this negative feedback loop to cause confusion and other issues that affect a target's mental and emotional health, it can cause problems such as anxiety pretty quickly.

Can't Handle The Truth: Expectations, Disappointment, And Narcissism

When something or someone does not align with their expectations, people are often either surprised or disappointed, but get over their emotional reaction pretty quickly because they have awareness about their own expectations and preferences being their OWN, coming from themselves. They know that if their expectations and assumptions weren't met, that THEY were simply incorrect, that they thought "wrong", that they assumed incorrectly.
For example one walks into a restaurant that looked like a "dive", a cheap place to get a mediocre pizza, and finds out that it's actually a great restaurant with a wonderful menu, excellent prices, and fantastic food. A person with healthy self-awareness would be surprised that their assumptions about the restaurant were "off", but they would not "BLAME" the RESTAURANT for the "discrepancy", they would simply think "Oh, not what I thought!"

Or when one person meets another person, we tend to assess and assume WAY too much about others with way too little information, but we're aware of that human tendency, and we know we're going to find out more and different things about a person than we had pigeonholed them as, every single time. So we don't take our assumptions too seriously; we wait and see what a person is really like, and we simply go "Oh I was wrong about that" to ourselves when we find out more about them.

Narcissists, on the other hand, have a very hard time with UNMATCHED expectations and assumptions.

A person with Narcissism really seeks control over his or her environment in order to feel either safe, or safe to "walk over" other people, depending on the individual N. So they make very large assumptions about other people, places, situations, future events, and objects, and EXPECT those assumptions to be correct. When those assumptions turn out to be incorrect, the N. can become very upset, agitated, even go into a rage. OR, the N. will simply IGNORE the discrepancies and differences between their assumption and reality, and just keep behaving as if everything they had assumed was true.

To put it bluntly; if a Narcissist meets a person and they assume the person is stupid, ignorant, or inexperienced because of the way they look, the Narcissist will most likely keep treating the person according to their original assessment even after it comes to light that the person won a Nobel Prize, or has a super-high IQ, or is an expert in the field that the Narcissist assumed them to be inexperienced in.
AND/OR, the N. will decide to DISLIKE the person, even despise them, literally because they didn't LINE UP with the expectations and assumptions of the N.

Because, it's a Narcissistic Injury.

That person was "supposed to be" STUPID (or lazy, irresponsible, unstable), and so when they turn out NOT to be stupid (or lazy, irresponsible or unstable), they are insulting the N's ego.

They made the Narcissist BE WRONG.


 

Hating The Study Of Human Behavior And Psychology

Most humans hate the study of human behavior, and don't like other people to study it, because it calls attention to themselves. They don't have a problem with other people studying animal behavior, or studying anything else such as physics, geology, astronomy, botany, microbiology, zoology, mathematics, robotics, theology, archeology, software design; in fact they'll often call a person who studies anything else "smart" or even "brilliant" or "fascinating". But when that same "smart, brilliant, fascinating" person switches their focus from astronomy to human behavior and psychology, suddenly people start putting negative labels on them.
There's only one reason for that~ the human ego.
"Look at anything else, and anyone else, just don't look at ME."

Fascinating that it doesn't occur to most people that those who study human behavior and psychology are studying themselves as well, so if it doesn't seem to bother them, why does it bother others? There's an answer to that, too, and it's not about "privacy" or "dignity".
We're all the same species. We're unique individuals, but there's really nothing that one human can do, say, think, or feel that's far beyond most of the other humans. We're all the same species, and the desire to hide things about ourselves is a natural, self-protective reaction. There's really nothing we can hide that's all that unique.

So we can lighten up and let go of our defensiveness when it comes to the study of human behavior, interaction, and psychology. We're one of the species on Planet Earth, we've been studied for centuries by members of our own species; it's nothing new, and it's nothing "personal", and it's one of the essential keys to figuring out how to prevent future horrors like so many we've seen as a species throughout our history on Earth, that still occur to this day.
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