Change is hard. And finding the motivation can be harder still. For disturbed characters, the motivation has to be internal, and rooted in healthy shame.
Discerning decency of character in our times is a challenge. With all manner of character dysfuntion “normalized,” we’ve largely become desensitized, even to the most egregious forms.
The relationship between self-esteem and narcissism is poorly understood. And that’s largely because of all the inaccurate information promoted in popular books and features on the internet.
Attractive and repulsive narcissism are different expressions of the same character disturbance. And it’s debatable which type is the more problematic.
The so-called “love languages” are the ways people express and/or like to receive affection. But genuine love is much more than affection. And equating love’s many close cousins with the real deal is often quite emotionally costly.