Honest Self Reckoning

Addiction and Recovery, Empowerment, Faith, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Self-Esteem, Social Issues, Spirituality, Therapy, , , , , , ,

Facing and embracing the truth about ourselves is hard. But when we do, we can become incredibly empowered. The truth truly does have power to set us free. And it can wrest us from the shackles hindering our spiritual and character growth.

Unconscious Denial Versus Tactical Denial

Addiction and Recovery, conscience, empathy, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issues, Spirituality, Therapy, , , , , ,

Unconscious denial is nature’s defense against unbearable pain. But some denial is tactical – a way to be irresponsible while not looking so bad. To have reverence for the truth and for human dignity, each type must be confronted differently.

Deceit Can Take Many Forms

Aggression, Covert-Aggression, empathy, Empowerment, gaslighting, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issues, Spirituality, , , , , , , , ,

Deceit is the hallmark trait of manipulative characters. And there are many ways to deceive. Some disturbed characters are so skilled in the subtlest forms of lying that they have raised it nearly to an art form.

Character Requires Revering Truth

conscience, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Psychology, Relationships, Self-Esteem, Social Issues, Spirituality, Therapy, , , , , , ,

Revering truth is crucial to character. To have healthy intimate relationships, we have to be honest and sincere with others. And to be psychologically and spiritually healthy, we have to be honest with ourselves.

Narcissistic Insult Can Prompt Rage

Abuse, empathy, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issues, Spirituality, , , , ,

Narcissists refuse to recognize or subordinate themselves to any higher power or authority. They see themselves as above the need. Besides, in their own minds, they’re always right. Reality sometimes clashes with that distorted self-perception. And that can prompt a narcissist’s rage.

Narcissism and the War on Truth

conscience, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issues, Spirituality, , , ,

Reverence for the truth builds character and can truly set us free. But narcissists and other disturbed characters have declared war on truth. For them, reality is what they say it is. Believing themselves superior, they know they’re right and everyone else is wrong.

Hitting Bottom Can Help a Narcissist

Addiction and Recovery, conscience, empathy, Entitlement, Faith, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issues, Spirituality, , , , ,

Hitting bottom is utter defeat combined with the inability to deny the true cause of that defeat. When the lofty fall and can blame no one but themselves, opportunity opens for constructive self-reflection and character growth.

Egomaniacal Characters

Abuse, conscience, empathy, Entitlement, Integrity, Intimacy, Mental Health, Narcissism, Neurotics, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Psychopathy and Sociopathy, Relationships, Responsibility, Self-Esteem, Social Issues, Spirituality, , , ,

Egomaniacal characters are grandiose narcissists. And their grandiosity sometimes borders on the delusional.

The Root of Narcissistic Ego Inflation

conscience, empathy, Empowerment, Entitlement, Integrity, Intimacy, Mental Health, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Self-Esteem, Social Issues, Spirituality

Our egos serve an important purpose. They help us navigate this world and deal with its slings and arrows. But we can identify too much with them. And when we do, we lose touch with our more authentic self. To see the bigger picture, be more fully alive, and treat each other justly, we must eventually surrender our egos. Narcissistic ego inflation interferes with that.

The Spirituality of Self-Esteem and Self-Respect

Entitlement, Integrity, Mental Health, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Self-Esteem, Social Issues, Spirituality, , , , , ,

Self-esteem is about our sense of what we have going for us. Self-respect is more about what we have done with our gifts. And both reflect the kind of relationship we have with a “higher power.”