A Job Or A Calling?

Things to ask yourself about your work and motivations:

Would you do your job for no pay?
If you couldn't get any recognition or credit for it?
If it helped others but no one knew you were the one doing it?
If your family and friends thought it was stupid or silly?

If you answered "No", then your motives are not about helping others, they're about your image and your pocket.
If you answered "Yes" to all of the above, then you might be on the right track.
If you answered "Yes" to all of the above and you're actually doing it now, and you have no intention of stopping because you feel you're making some small difference, then keep at it, you may have found your Calling.

Desire For Supremacy

There is only one reason for placing one's self above another:   Desire for Supremacy. 

There are several reasons that humans desire supremacy, but only a few basic reasons, and they are all based in Group Dynamics. Without a group, there is no "Higher" or "Lower", so those who desire Supremacy also desire belonging, and fear being diminished or cast out.

Some basic reasons are: 

~Fear of being seen as "Lesser", and associated with those who are seen as "Lesser", and consequently being denied privileges, attention, and resources (because one has seen this happen and knows it to be a real threat).

~Craving to be associated with, seen as, and thought of as one of those who are Powerful, and therefore automatically cared for and liked by others.

~Craving for control over their environment and over other human beings.

~Fear of humiliation; if one's "Station" is at the top, then no other is allowed to point out their mistakes, failings, or flaws.

~Fear of being judged, ridiculed, or ostracized.

~Fear of being seen as weaker, less knowledgeable, less wise, less powerful, and less deserving, therefore being cast out. 

Humans who crave Supremacy (it's not a rare occurrence) will use absolutely anything to "prove" why they, personally, naturally "deserve" it. 

Some extremely common reasons that humans have used to try to claim natural Supremacy are:

~Ancestry

~Possessions

~Territory

~Religion

~Gender

~Body size

~Fighting skill

~Popularity 

~Certificates of education

~Poltical affiliation

~Vocation

~Any affiliation

Emotionally and mentally healthy human groups do not play games of status, power and control, and are focused on the genuine well-being of all members of the group in body, mind, and spirit.  Therefore the desire for Supremacy in such groups is minimal because there is no fear of denial of basic needs or rights, and no fear of favoritism, exclusion, or unfairness. Adults regularly mentor youth in a calm and caring manner, and members of the group exchange accurate, positive feedback on a continual basis. All members are treated as real members of the group. It is the "norm" for all members to be heard by all other members, and it is very abnormal for anyone to be left out, talked over, insulted, or shushed. 

The only "ostracism" that occurs, if it ever does, is when a member would purposely dominate and harm (physically, which includes sexually and mentally) another member (ANY other member). The occurrence of violent/criminal behavior within such a group is rare because there is continual healthy interaction, guidance, mentoring, caring, respect, and accurate, polite, healthy feedback., from all members, toward all members. 

This behavior is learned because it is modeled, and it is modeled because it is comprehended.

The strength of such a group is far beyond groups who are full of power struggles, envy, self-righteousness, hatred, and domination behavior. 

This strong and healthy dynamic does NOT begin on a governmental level, but on the most basic and personal level. It begins in the home, in intimate relationships, in the family, in the neighborhood, and in the community.  

 

My Party Is The Righteous Party

When we find ourselves using a Political Party, a religion, or any other group as a Clique, or a gang we might want to take a moment to reflect on our underlying emotional issues.

~Why am I seeking to fit in? What am I lacking?
~Why do I feel like I need to be recognized as a "member" of a larger group in order to feel respected and recognized?
~Who am I afraid of? Why do I fear being singled out and rejected? Who is it in my life who singles out and ostracizes people who don't agree with them?
~Do I avoid airing my own point of view for fear of embarrassment or humiliation?
~Do I actually believe that anyone who isn't in my Clique is a lesser kind of human being, and I, along with my fellow Clique members,  know all the answers and are categorically better?

( A Clique is a group where "we" are the "right/good/smart/better ones" and "they" are the "wrong/bad/dumb/lesser ones", and we have no interest in hearing "their" point of view, and reject those who don't belong to our Clique, who don't follow along with us and agree with us.) 

Home Is Where The Heart Is

You're already Home. And wherever you go, you are still Home. We all belong on this Earth, in this World, how can anyone not be Home, wherever they are?

He/She Won't Stand Up For Me

Beware of a friend or partner who does not stand up for you against the disrespect of others.

This is a red flag; it indicates either Narcissism, or it indicates Codependence. Obviously if they're a "Narc", they aren't standing up for you because they LIKE it when others disrespect you. They're just letting someone else do what they want to do, and are probably hoping they won't get noticed that they're not doing anything about it. However if they're Codependent, they may be so used to being surrounded by manipulative Controllers that they react to disrespectful or abusive behavior by sitting down and being quiet.
They may be conditioned to NOT stand up, because they fear reprisal, consequences, retaliation, and this fear may be the only reaction they have to domination and disrespect, especially toward someone else.
"Fight or flight" is not really a complete description of the instinctual reaction to a threat (which includes disrespectful speech and actions, such as treating a person like they don't exist or are "lesser"). "FREEZE" is the third component that is frequently left out. So it's really "Fight, Flight, or Freeze". When your friend, partner, or family member has the reaction of doing NOTHING when someone treats you with dishonor, and especially if this is accompanied by them wanting YOU to do absolutely nothing as well, they may be having this Freeze reaction.
They probably don't realize it's a "reaction", and will most likely rationalize their feelings and their desire for you to be quiet about whatever happened, saying things like "don't rock the boat", or "don't make a big deal out of it".
Actually, not doing anything IS what makes it a big deal. One does not need to have some kind of Histrionic Fit when standing up for someone against disrespect, and in most cases, direct confrontation is not even necessary. However, pretending no one noticed the behavior IS the same thing as condoning it and encouraging it.
Defending the disrespectful or abusive person is an even bigger flag that indicates either Narcissism or Codependence. Which one it is may take further observation, but acknowledge the flag and reinforce boundaries before making that distinction or taking any action. 
Further, the family member or friend who disrespects a person's partner, friend, relative or child IS showing domination behavior and disrespect to BOTH people, not just to one. The dishonor of the relationship between two other people is a very common behavior found in those with Narcissism, with or without another "co-morbid" disorder or mental illness. The reason is simply envy, and fear of losing influence and control over a person.

Narcissists will often try to destroy the relationship between someone they feel ownership toward, even if they aren't very "close" to that person, and a new person such as a love interest, or another family member.  

Their desire for control and ownership over others is part of their disorder, and they will do all kinds of things to prevent the loss of one of their possessions. They can't handle the fact that a person they feel like they own might have a relationship that might take them away, even for a moment, from their control. They also fear that this other relationship will expose them for what they are, and the object of their possession will realize they have been being manipulated for however long it's been.

The most common  incidence of this behavior can be seen when someone finds a new love interest that's apparently serious. The non-Narcissist friends and family will be happy for the couple, and try to get to know the new person, welcoming them and including them warmly. They will of course be interested in the person in a positive way, and they will try to make them feel comfortable.

Narcissistic "friends" and family members, however, will of course feel threatened by this new person. They will often try to drive out the new person with all kinds of behaviors that resemble childhood antics on a school playground, such as ignoring, making snide or sarcastic comments, trying to make them feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. The Narcissistic friend or family member will often try to make the person they feel like they "own" turn against their love interest by pointing out "flaws", by magnifying anything they can use as "flaws", by painting them to be a bad person who's out to hurt or use their "owned" person, by excluding them from activities and events but inviting their "owned" person, by setting up their "owned" person with other people or pointing out other people that would be "better" for them. Narcissistic friends and family members will especially do this if they are worried that the new person can see them for what they are. Unfortunately it often WORKS, because the person is so entrenched in this group and their behavior that they don't realize what's going on, and they can lose what would have been a fantastic relationship.

This same behavior can be seen among family members as well, and in platonic friendships. Anywhere that a Narcissistic person feels ownership and control over another person. Children often do this with adults, pets, and one another, however healthy children grow out of this stage. Those who develop Narcissism do not.

Those who have become acclimated to an abusive/ hostile/aggressive/manipulative environment, especially if they have been the target of direct abuse, can develop Codependence that looks a lot like Stockholme's syndrome, but on a broader level. WHOEVER the "bully" person is, that is who they will "respect", although it's not really respect, it's a conditioned response to Domination Signals. Fear of getting SEEN, of getting SINGLED OUT, of getting attacked, humiliated, slandered, ridiculed, LEFT OUT, etc. is what's really behind this "RESPECT", but this awareness has been buried by the subconscious. It can feel instead like security, acceptance, even like a parental relationship, or like acceptance as a member of an elite or exclusive club over time, so it can be very difficult for a person to break out of the mental conditioning. Atmospheres such as this are easily seen from the outside, and often heavily defended from the inside, including by those who are oppressed within it (Stockholme's Syndrome -like behavior).

In regions, societies and cultures where this is widespread, children often grow up to mimic the adults in some kind of "Hierarchy" that was created by this domination behavior, often originated by criminals and the domination-obsessed who sought control over others in past generations. Such children will become confused early on when they realize that either they, or those they care about deeply, are being treated with dishonor and disrespect for no valid reason. This confusion eventually, unfortunately, often gives way to the desire for acceptance by the group, which is common to most primates, and especially Humans. So if it means being accepted, one will often start to give in to getting treated as a sub-class being, as if they are secondary to others even in their own family.  Or they will give in to allowing others to treat those they care about and respect with this dishonor and disrespect by others, like they are a "lesser" being within the group (such as one of their parents, siblings, or friend; and later, their own child and their partner.)

This is tragic, obviously, but happens in many human cultures and societies all the time. It causes great consequences in the mental health of the entire group, and serious rifts between people. It destroys relationships and families from within, and it undermines the business economy, driving out good business and bringing in black market dealing, governmental corruption, street crime, and sex "trade". There is openly practiced prejudice in such areas, and a large incidence of nepotism and cronyism in business and government. Schools are directly impacted, and it shows dramatically in the performance and behavior of the students.

Unfortunately, the problem grows exponentially, sometimes until the region's economy is completely destroyed, or the rights of citizens are so imbalanced that the economy resembles a medieval kingdom with very wealthy on one hand and struggling serfs on the other, but nothing in between.

On a larger scale, this problem drastically slows real progress which is clearly demonstrated throughout history; the only things that seem to "progress" in such atmospheres are weaponry; other things creep along slowly, or actually slide backward. It may be difficult to make the connection between "social hierarchy" and halted scientific and civil progress, but that difficulty is actually a symptom and result of the same social conditioning, believe it or not. They are intrinsically intertwined.


(Modern examples of that halting progress are fuel, energy, and fuel efficient motors.)

For Shaaaame!!!

Narcissists will try to make you feel bad, ashamed, and guilty for doing ANYTHING AT ALL. They will try to make you feel like you did something wrong when you saved a starving puppy. They'll imply that you should feel silly about learning a new language. They'll try to shame you for working on a creative project. They'll cast a shadow on any interest, goal, talent, or activity you have or do. They'll imply that all your friendship and acquaintance connections have hidden agendas. They'll try to imply that you're "OUT OF LINE" when you do anything at all that's in the realm of confident or normal behavior, that's in the realm of participating in anything, that's in the realm of learning or accomplishing or achieving anything. They will try to turn your going to the movies into some kind of evidence that you are a "bad person" who can not be trusted, and should be shunned. They'll do it TO you, and ABOUT you to others. Their appetite for control and elevating their own image by trashing others is seemingly endless.

Why Some People Gossip

Why gossip? We humans gossip to deflect it from ourselves. If we are part of circles who gossip, we WILL become a target eventually, unless we find ways to deflect others looking at US, and how we do that is to point AWAY from ourselves, at someone else.

Gossipers are bent on maintaining their approval rating, just like people in the media, and just like politicians, they will use smearing for this purpose.
"Did you see what SHE did? Did you hear what HE did?! Look how he's dressed! Look at her car! Look at that hair! Does he/she even have a JOB?"

Projection usually plays a large part in Gossip dynamics. The person who is judging herself, or feels inadequate, for her housework is the one who is going to gossip about the housework of someone else. The person who is fixated on sex is the one who is going to think about and talk about the sex life of someone else.

Deflecting the judgments of others onto someone else keeps that same judgmental focus off of one's self. When we are the one pointing the finger (away from ourselves, AT someone else), we also give the impression that we are ENTITLED to be one of the finger-pointers, and therefore that we are "above" and one of the "authority people".

Gossipers HATE IT when people talk about gossip and negativity, or stand up against it, because they are heavily invested in keeping blame and negative judgment OFF of themselves. They may be terrified of being seen in a negative light, because they more than anyone are aware of how much harm gossip, slander, and ostracism can cause to a target's life; they don't want to be a target for anything.

There is one main reason people choose a specific person to gossip about; because they're an easier target. Those who are already treated with disdain or disrespect by others for petty reasons, those who others harbor envy toward, those who have already been slandered, and those who are isolated, natural loners, or who simply don't seem to have a large support network due to any reason at all (family lives in another town, friends have moved away, their supports have died, whatever) are easy targets. People who live in another area away from the gossip group are also easy targets.

The gossiper tests the water first to see how their criticism of this person will be accepted. If they find that others also harbor envy and/or disdain toward the person (picture the "fat kid" in school, or the "nerd/smart kid", or the "ugly girl", or the "rich kid" or "poor kid", etc.), they'll continue with their smear campaign, embellishing more and more, trying to provoke an emotional response from listeners. They know they've succeeded when the listener starts agreeing with them, going down the same slander road.

The process is not difficult at all, most of us do the same thing on some level, with all kinds different topics. Sales people often disparage another product to make their own seem more valuable, pointing out the "flaws" of the other product but hiding the flaws in their own. We even point out "flaws" in our own lives to explain why we changed something, such as saying how we "had to" get another car because the other one was flawed in some way (this may or may not be true, but we tend to make a point of saying it whether or not the person asks; we're probably afraid of being judged for buying a new car, ESPECIALLY if we live in a Gossipy area.)

Disparaging others in order to elevate ourselves, either to their face or behind their back, or both, is unfortunately commonly human, as is picking one's nose, eating too much, over-spending, passing gas, and ignoring the real plights of others. One of these things can't be stopped, but can be controlled. The rest of them don't need to happen at all, we choose to do them, which is the same thing as when we don't stop ourselves from doing them. (We can't "help" gas, but we can go in the bathroom. We CAN "help" doing the rest of those things.)

An extra note about gossip, those who do it seem to believe that everyone does it, and that those who don't simply just aren't one of the "in crowd" people, or they're "shy" or have "low self esteem". Those who don't gossip are much more aware of reality, and are much less likely to disparage YOU, or anyone else, because they are not worried about being accepted by the "crowd". They don't gain their sef-confidence from getting a feeling of acceptance or approval from other people, especially from those who disparage others.

Haunted Zain On Abuse Recovery

Healing Recovery But Fewer Friends

A lot of people ask this question:
"How come the healthier I get, the more I recover, the less people seem to like me or want to be my friend?"
If you are, in fact, getting healthier, then your non-verbal communication is changing.
If you are living and working in a region or group that has a large incidence of emotional or mental unhealthiness, then anyone with stronger inner confidence and healthier boundaries will be avoided, even shunned or targeted for gossip.
Why? Because people who live in chaotic or controlling environments don't like those who aren't participating in the game, who aren't submitting to the illusory hierarchy they try to create, who aren't jumping to respond to their social signals. If you aren't acting submissive to the ones who want to be seen as "tough", "powerful", or "leaders", they won't like you. If you aren't fawning over the ones who want to be seen as "Great" or "Beautiful", or "Handsome", they won't like you. If you are not participating in bullying, corruption, or gossip, they won't like you, and if you stand up against any of that, they really won't like you.
It doesn't take much beyond simply not responding to their non-verbal social cues. If you look uninterested in the game they're playing, whichever game it is, they won't want you around.

EXACTLY like... children who don't want their teacher (non-PD teacher) around when they're not playing by the rules, or when they're picking on other kids.

You're "wrecking" their game with your calm and confident demeanor because you aren't following the group~ you don't give extra attention or admiration to the "Cool Kid" in the group, you don't follow the "Leader Kid" in the group, and you aren't picking on the "dumb" or "crazy" or "Loser Kid" in the group, you aren't displaying pity or martyring yourself for the "Martyr Kid" in the group, and you are not allowing anyone to put one of those labels on you. You just treat everyone with the same respect and care as human beings, and your non-verbal cues show that you expect them to do the same. You are showing that you aren't interested in playing the social games. But they are, so they don't want you around if they can't MAKE you play (they will try at first, but then they'll just reject you when it doesn't work).

The only way they will "be your friends again" is if you let them make up the rules, and you play their game.

The good news is, you aren't inside of the game, so you can live your real life. 

 

http://lightshouse.org/lights-blog/how-to-use-body-language-repel-toxic-people#axzz2ZhHNVQVJ

How to Use Body Language to Repel Toxic People – A Blog About Toxic and Non-Toxic People

lightshouse.org

Understanding Abusive Behavior

When we are trying to objectively understand the behaviors and causes of behaviors in others, it is not the same as condoning, allowing, or letting them walk on us.

An example of understanding objectively without allowing one's self to be a target can be seen in psychiatric hospitals, and also group homes for the mentally challenged or ill. There are units in psych. hospitals where patients are constantly trying to target doctors and staff members, some of them every minute of every day. A professional worker, whether they're a doctor, nurse, caregiver, counselor or janitor, must maintain objectivity in order to work there and do their job. A patient might throw their food tray at a nurse. Her job effectiveness relies on her ability to not take it personally, and be fully aware that this person is mentally ill, and that there is always going to be a possibility of a "behavior".

One of the main reasons labels are created in the first place is so that those who work with and help patients and clients can be prepared for what they might be dealing with, and modify their own expectations and behaviors regarding the patient/client.

So that nurse would have expected, or at least not have been shocked for that particular patient to hurl the tray if she had objective awareness, and also experience. She would have been on guard around that patient. If it was an unexpected behavior, the next step is to re-visit the patient's diagnostic evaluation, treatment plan and medications, and re-evaluate how staff is protecting themselves from his or her behaviors.
>>>A non-professional staff (and I've seen this happen) would instead engage in a conflict with the patient, try to bully or shame him or her, and then gossip and trash talk about the patient with each other, and subsequently treat the patient with less and less care and treatment. I've seen this go to the point of serious neglect and abuse.

When we have someone who is abusive to us in our lives, we need to look at the entire dynamic, including ourselves. Of course it's not healthy to live with someone who is abusive toward us, so we need to make some changes for ourselves. Allowing ourselves to be treated badly should not be an option at all. So we need to change things to make our situation safe again.
Understanding and comprehending what is going on with a person who is abusive or manipulative has nothing to do with letting them continue to do it to us, and is in fact the OPPOSITE of that. When we are able to understand in a more clinical and less personal way about why someone behaves a certain way, we become more UNATTACHED and UNENGAGED in their behavior, not more attached. Understanding their behavior in a more clinical way makes it LESS PERSONAL, and easier to deal with in a healthy way.

To put it another way, if your brother ignored you all the time while you were growing up, if he wouldn't play with you, if he wouldn't respond to you when you asked him questions, and if he became ANGRY every time you tried to play cards or get him to go outside with you, you would probably feel hurt, rejected, angry, and/or sad. You might even end up kind of hating him, and maybe developing anger issues yourself, especially if your parents never tried to correct him or intervene.
But~ if your parents had explained to you about Autism, if you had read about it, learned about it, and came to understand that your brother CAN'T do the things you want him to do, and WILL get angry whenever you or almost anyone else tries to get him to do something, your entire perception of him and of your relationship with him would be completely different. You would not take his anger personally, you wouldn't feel rejected by his introverted demeanor, and you would not be confused about where it's coming from, and you wouldn't harbor so many ill feelings toward him. It would be a healthier environment for both you and him, and you would build and live your life in a different way than you would have in the other scenario.

Choosing Movements

 Why do we do some of the things we do, instead of doing other things that would be better on many or all levels?
Betrayal or stealing often does as much lasting damage to the person who does it than the person it's done to, it is an injury we do to ourselves as well as to another. These injuries can be healed when we are able to see ourselves as human beings who don't know everything, and who want forgiveness, and who want to feel the strength and inner peace that comes with straightforwardness and genuine care for the souls of others and ourselves.

Succeed And Fail, Or Be And Do

"Go beyond the idea of succeeding and failing -- these are judgments. Stay in the process and allow the universe to handle the details."
- Wayne Dyer

Narcissism, BPD, and Stigma

We might need to revisit straightforward Narcissism vs. BPD. There is so much stigma attached to both, which is of course one of the traits of Narcissism, ironically~ labeling people as "loser", "crazy", or "bad". These diagnostic labels are supposed to be tools used for analysis and understanding purposes, not for stamping people with scarlet letters and shunning them. Throughout human history though, as we all are aware, there are always those who find ways to group people as "good ones" (that would be the 'Us' crowd) and "bad ones" (that would be the 'Them' crowd). Mental illness is no different, and most of us who have been abuse targets know exactly what it feels like to be treated like a "Them", so we know it's not helpful at all, and only serves one purpose, someone's agenda.
>>>We might want to do that, even feel we need to, when we are in the middle of dealing with an abuser, and it's understandable, but that's a completely different thing from those who are not dealing with a specific situation attaching stigma, and is especially true for those who are mental health care workers and professionals. A psychiatrist, psychologist, clinician or therapist MUST learn how to view other humans as objectively as possible, without giving themselves "permission" to be judgmental with the excuse that they're "only human". Of course it's hard, it's hard for anyone to be objective about their fellow humans, but it's essential nonetheless.
That being said; some differences between classic Narcissism and basic BPD:

The person with BPD is worried about you liking him or her. The person with NPD is not, they are only worried about whether you'll be a supply or not.

The person with BPD may become very anxious or angry if they feel abandoned, it's one of the common symptoms. The person with NPD doesn't feel "abandoned", they feel like they're being 'disrespected' if someone isn't paying enough attention to them.

The person with BPD may feel angry, humiliated, and defensive when he or she feels like someone is treating them like they're someone who's "loopy" or "dumb" (not so abnormal, is it? it's just that their emotions about it can be much more intense, and can cause serious anxiety, which then makes them appear "loopy", which then invites even more negative judgment, etc~) The person with NPD is the one DOING the judging.

The person with BPD may self-harm and develop addictions due to anxiety, fear, stress relief, belonging, and feeling unwanted and shunned. The person with NPD develops addictions because they were looking for something to make them more powerful than they already think they are in some way (like amphetamines so they can get an "edge" on someone they're competing with, or anabolic steroids.)

The person with BPD may be very upset about something someone did or didn't do on a regular basis, and may have interpreted the other person's actions, words, and motive completely wrong but stay upset anyway; the person with NPD pretty much only displays annoyance and anger (and rage) as genuine emotions, and it's usually because something didn't go their way; if they could HIDE those emotional displays they would, absolutely (hurts their image and agenda, the display itself humiliates them, and they may become even angrier and blame someone else for it.They may do things to distract others or 'escape' when they feel exposed, or an emotional reaction coming on. They may 'turn the tables' as an escape tactic.)

A person who has BPD traits can ALSO have 'Narcissism', but they're not one and the same. There are all kinds of "versions" of BPD, especially since it's only a label for a pattern or cluster of behaviors that was noticed some years ago. The actual CAUSE of an individual's BPD symptoms frequently goes unexplored and ignored, and untreated, by many in the mental health professions. It's common for a person who has been diagnosed with BPD to get prescribed heavy medications but not receive therapy such as DBT, which has shown very postive results. It is common for a person who has been diagnosed with BPD to be singled out as the "cause of the family problems" by mental health care workers, (scapegoated), instead of the other way around, or even as a piece of a larger puzzle. It's common for a family scapegoat to develop BPD symptoms, and also for any children growing up in a Narcissistic environment (caregiver, family, or larger community).

There are a lot of people with BPD symptoms, from mild to severe; it centers around weak, severely weak, and injured boundaries, and a lack of awareness and understanding about boundaries in general. With that, an unclear, wobbly, or skewed sense of self and identity. All of which is frequently caused by abuse, bad behavior modeling, skewed feedback, and/or neglect.


 "The disorder, characterized by intense emotions, self-harming acts and stormy interpersonal relationships, was officially recognized in 1980 and given the name Borderline Personality Disorder. It was thought to occur on the border between psychotic and neurotic behavior.  This is no longer considered a relevant analysis and the term itself, with its stigmatizing negative associations, has made diagnosing BPD problematic. The complex symptoms of the disorder often make patients difficult to treat and therefore may evoke feelings of anger and frustration in professionals trying to help, with the result that many professionals are often unwilling to make the diagnosis or treat persons with these symptoms.  These problems have been aggravated by the lack of appropriate insurance coverage for the extended psychosocial treatments that BPD usually requires.  Nevertheless, there has been much progress and success in the past 25 years in the understanding of and specialized treatment for BPD.  It is, in fact, a diagnosis that has a lot of hope for recovery." 
~NAMI  
(Click for page:What is Borderline Personality Disorder)

Tell What You See! Listen To What Others See~

Share your point of view with the world. Remember that only you can see things from where you're standing. You can't see things from where I'm standing, only I can. I can see something you CAN'T, and you can see something I CAN'T, and that person standing on the corner can see something NEITHER of us can see (or feel, hear, or understand), nor anyone else. Each one of us is holding our very own le...ns through which we each experience the world. The only way we can learn what another sees is to listen to what they report from their unique perspective. And the only way for anyone to hear our report from our unique point of view is to tell it. You can't stand in my shoes, it's not possible. You can try, but you can't really. What you can do, however, is stop arguing and judging, trying to tel me what you think I see, or what I "should" see, and just listen. Anyone else who understands will listen to YOU report YOUR unique perspective as well, because they want to know what you see through your own eyes.

The story of the Elephant and the Blind Men, below, is well known to many, but few seem to remember the meaning of the story and practice it in every day life. What a wonderful, much more peaceful and prosperous world we would have if everyone understood and practiced this. It's not a religious concept so much as logic.  ~I can't see what I can't see, and you can't see what you can't see, so if we argue about what we're seeing it's pretty ridiculous, isn't it? If each of us are standing on opposite sides of a house, we can only tell each other what we're each looking at, we can't actually SEE the other side of the house from where we're each standing. Even if we've stood there before, we still can't see what the other person is seeing, and they can't see what we're seeing, or how we're seeing it.  To some this is an obvious concept, to others it is difficult to comprehend, possibly because they were not taught that other human beings are real people like themselves, or they may have been taught that "reality" is the same for everyone, and therefore if someone else sees something else, they must be mistaken. 
(However, if one examines this further, one will see that those who accuse others of being mistaken or delusional also submit to whomever they have identified as a "Leader", so when this "Leader" says that they see something different, they will listen, and say "ah, he/she is wise", even if the "Leader" says the same thing as another who was called "mistaken" or "crazy". This is still related to the Elephant and the Blind Men; dismissing one person as value-less and then therefore dismissing whatever they say, but exaggerating the value of another and hearing whatever they say as Divine Wisdom. If the Blind Men did this in the story, then everyone would believe that the entire Elephant was ONLY a trunk, or ONLY a tail, etc., depending on which men they dismissed as "lesser", and which men they chose as "Leader".) 

Story(25)

ELEPHANT AND THE BLIND MEN

Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. One day the villagers told them, "Hey, there is an elephant in the village today."

They had no idea what an elephant is. They decided, "Even though we would not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway." All of them went where the elephant was. Everyone of them touched the elephant.

"Hey, the elephant is a pillar," said the first man who touched his leg.

"Oh, no! it is like a rope," said the second man who touched the tail.

"Oh, no! it is like a thick branch of a tree," said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant.

"It is like a big hand fan" said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.

"It is like a huge wall," said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant.

"It is like a solid pipe," Said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.

They began to argue about the elephant and everyone of them insisted that he was right. It looked like they were getting agitated. A wise man was passing by and he saw this. He stopped and asked them, "What is the matter?" They said, "We cannot agree to what the elephant is like." Each one of them told what he thought the elephant was like. The wise man calmly explained to them, "All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently because each one of you touched the different part of the elephant. So, actually the elephant has all those features what you all said."

"Oh!" everyone said. There was no more fight. They felt happy that they were all right.

In Jainism:

The moral of the story is that there may be some truth to what someone says. Sometimes we can see that truth and sometimes not because they may have different perspective which we may not agree too. So, rather than arguing like the blind men, we should say, "Maybe you have your reasons." This way we don’t get in arguments. In Jainism, it is explained that truth can be stated in seven different ways. So, you can see how broad our religion is. It teaches us to be tolerant towards others for their viewpoints. This allows us to live in harmony with the people of different thinking. This is known as the Syadvada, Anekantvad, or the theory of Manifold Predictions. 

Superiority Scanning

Remember that most of those who have Narcissism traits, severe and blatantly abusive or not, are looking to find ways to feel superior to others at all times. Feeling above another is the only way they know how to feel real, and good about themselves. They do this all the time, they're on "scan"; if someone shows anything that they can interpret as a chink, as a flaw, as a weakness, as inexperience or lower "status", they are all over it. That person is now officially lowered in their imagination. They now feel comfortable countering them, condescending to them, shunning them, and questioning and doubting openly everything they do and say.
Showing inner turmoil, showing sadness, anger, frustration or indignation are all "reasons" that a Narcissist may judge a person as "lower'. (They are completely unaware. apparently, of their own emotional displays and complaints, which are often dramatic and tedious.)
Other "reasons" that a Narcissist may find as signs of "lower status", however only when applied to OTHER people, not to themselves:

Not working in a 9 to 5 job (literally, daytime hours)
Not working in a job they judge as "high status"
Not having a regular job, regardless of income (if you are independently wealthy, or if you have income from a non-obvious source, or inheritance, they will STILL judge you for not having a job.)
For GETTING a job if they think you don't "need the money" (same people who judge you for not getting a job.)
For talking about things that bother you.
For talking about being treated unfairly.
For talking about abuse you've experienced.
For standing up for others.
For sharing observations that they don't agree with.
For displaying any kind of emotion whatsoever that does not MATCH THEIRS at the moment.
For sharing any observation or opinion that does not MATCH THEIR point of view.
For being physically larger than them, or smaller.
For getting counseling (even if they've gotten counseling also; actually you would be hard-pressed to meet a human who has not sought counseling from others; a Narcissist will categorize counseling from a friend, relative, coach, clergy, or boss as "different" from counseling from a licensed therapist. It is different, because counseling from personal connections can be hidden and kept secret more easily...)
For being heavy set, overweight, thin, "well endowed", or in "good shape" (regardless of their own body type.)
For being "unattractive" IN THEIR OPINION, or for being "attractive" IN THEIR OPINION. (They believe their opinion is objective fact.)
For asking a question about anything.
For asking for advice about anything.
For sharing personal frustrations.
For sharing personal accomplishments.
For sharing personal experiences, "positive" or "negative".

FOR ASKING THEM FOR ASSISTANCE, HELP, OR PARTICIPATION IN ANYTHING, FOR ANY REASON. (Don't ask a Narcissist to help you get work done, don't ask them to help you move, don't ask them for a loan, don't ask them to pet-sit, don't ask them to participate in a project of yours~ they MIGHT say yes, but they will probably use it as a way to say "NO", so they can feel power. If they say yes, then you are probably in for a power struggle. Either way, you asked them for something, therefore they have something you "need", that you don't have, and are therefore superior to you.)

ANYTHING PERSONAL, basically, at all. As soon as the Narcissist starts thinking of another person as having any kind of "flaw" (flaw defined by their own imagination), they immediately start trying to knock the person down and treat them like they're NOT worthy of respect, or as "valuable" or as smart of a human being as they are. They begin to counter everything the person says, condescend, stop reciprocating communication and respectful behavior, start to judge everything the person does and says as negative, lazy, wrong, crazy, and stupid. Everything the person says and does, no matter what it is, will be seen by them as negative, and that's even if they held the person on a pedestal for the exact same things before.

Non-narcissists don't look for reasons to judge others as lower than themselves because they don't need to compare themselves to others to gain confidence, they aren't looking for a fight in order to get a rush of neurochemicals, they aren't looking to feel self-righteous and above anyone, and they are solution and progress oriented, not self-interest-only oriented. They are also big-picture oriented, so they can see why mutual respect and polite treatment between humans is so important. They can see the problems and drama that Narcissism causes for everyone on so many levels, and don't want to be a part of those problems in the world, in their community, and in their families.

Dwelling On Our Problems... Or Not... Human Behavior

Learning about the behavior and psychology of our own species is a funny thing. Those who are aware of the reality of the human animal's tendency to control and manipulate other members of their group are more likely to see analysis for what it is, but those who are not aware, or who are invested in such control behavior in their daily lives, often react emotionally to discussions about human behavior, and misinterpret it as lamentation, "dwelling in the past", wallowing, and whining. Fascinating, since most humans do not react to discussions about the behavior of OTHER species in this way. Since it's removed from them personally, they can understand that it's observation. So when we talk about the social dynamics of Grey wolves, for example, most people can simply talk about it without reacting with defensiveness or condescension, or projecting "motivation" onto the observer/researcher. They can read and hear about how both Alpha males and females lead packs, how both genders often oversee the behavior of both sexes in the rest of the pack, how they discipline and teach their pups, and how occasionally a wolf will get ostracized, driven out of the pack. They can hear about the general behaviors of Polar bears, or of Elephants, Cheetahs, and simply learn and discuss without assigning some kind of emotional "motivation" to those who study, observe, and write about their observations. They seem to know the difference when it comes to the study of other species.

But when it comes to reading about the behaviors of their own species, many tend to jump to conclusions about anyone who observes and writes about human behavior. This is another form of PROJECTION. They are placing their OWN motivations upon those who observe Human behavior. This projection is somewhat understandable, since many humans take any kind of observation of the species personally, especially when they feel they recognize themselves in the observations. If they don't see themselves in the observations, they may not have a defensive reaction at all, or feel compelled to assign and project an emotional or ulterior motive.

Uncle Bob's Treehouse

Click to read:

The Reaction to Feminism and the Contempt for Women

Gossip And E Coli

Gossip and slander are the verbal equivalents of defecating in one's own drinking water, and pretending it's Kool Aid.

Misinterpreting Other People

Misinterpreting the intention, meaning, words, motives and emotions of others is common in those with certain disorders. It doesn't mean they can't heal from it, but until they do, this can wreak havoc in personal relationships. This is a form of projection, and also often a kind of transference.
(It's important to note; it's also a natural human trait to assume that someone means what we would mean if we said the same thing. Why so many intelligent people get conned and scammed.)

So when Jim says "Nice job taking out the garbage!" to his nephew Chris, what exactly does he mean? His nephew is going to take it the way he hears it, which might not be the way his Uncle Jim meant it.

Chris hears it as sarcasm, but Jim actually meant it as a genuine, drama-free acknowledgment. So since Chris assumes it was sarcasm, he reacts to Jim according to his incorrect interpretation, and huffs and puffs, and rolls his eyes. Jim, in turn, is frustrated and a little hurt. This kind of thing happens all the time. Chris' father is very sarcastic, controlling and demeaning, but his Uncle Jim is not at all. So Chris, understandably, "hears" the same thing when his uncle speaks. This ongoing dynamic based on Chris' incorrect interpretations, and Jim not knowing what's happening (tough one to figure out), creates more and more tension and leads to an eventual breakdown of the relationship. Which is very unfortunate for both of them.

On a wider level, Chris interprets most people this way. His father's attitude has become a filter through which he views all adults, and is beginning to view others his age through it as well. So Chris hears sarcasm and put-downs directed at him everywhere he goes, and can't discern when a person is not talking down to him anymore.

The implications of this are pretty far-reaching; if one hears disrespect, sarcasm, control and insult whenever others speak, how will Chris be able to make any healthy connections, or learn anything new from others, or get any kind of help for anything he's been through or issues he's dealing with, including this one? He could heal, and then he would be much more clear about the real motivations and emotions of others, but he has to first recognize that he has this issue.

Successful And Happy?

Wonder which kind of community or family flourishes~ (more people are more successful and happy)~ the ones where all the people in it are supportive of each other, or the kind where people in it are always looking for ways to condemn each other in order to make themselves feel better? The ones where people see all the other people in it as valuable as themselves, or the ones where people look for reasons to devalue others? Hmmm... support - condemn...support , condemn... gosh I can't figure it out, the two are so similar... Which kind of community or family would I want to live in... gosh that's a tough one too...