Beware of the smug and the glib. Smooth talkers and smooth operators are often among the more malignant narcissists. Trust your gut and dismiss any seemingly superficial charm and seduction.
During a remarkable interview, Dr. Carter and I sometimes use different terms, but we describe the same realities – perspectives that differ considerably from those taught during our professional training but which both experience and abundant recent research soundly validate.
Some things in life sure do seem like love. And too many come to realize what love really is and isn’t too late in a relationship, when they’ve already invested a lot. The sense of dissapointment, disillusionment, and betrayal that inevitably follows can be a serious soul crusher.
We once widely regarded truth as the “best policy.” That’s partly because we understood that it always outs in the end. But it’s also because the it mattered to us more than it seems to these days.
Narcissists cannot really love because they can’t get beyond themselves. Some can charm convincingly, making you think it’s all about you. But when you scratch below the surface, you’ll find that it’s always really about them.
For a culture steeped in egocentricity, entitlement, relativism, and permissiveness to change, hearts must change first. But as they do, this age of narcissism will eventually come to an end.