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What is a Narcissist?

 




We often hear people being described as narcissists, but what does it mean? 

The secular world defines a narcissist in the DSM as: 

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood, and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by 5 or more of the following: 

·       Has a grandiose sense of self-importance

·       Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

·       Believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions

·       Requires excessive admiration

·       Has a sense of entitlement

·       Is interpersonally exploitative

·       Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

·       Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of them

·       Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes 

What the secularists have done is describe a person and how they behave that we find in the Bible. You won’t find the word narcissist in the Bible, but you will find this person.

The Bible calls this person someone who has insolent pride. An example is in Proverbs 21:24

Insolent pride is pride that is contemptuous, looking down on others. They scoff at others, are contentious, and create conflict. They want to be the best, to be number one, get what they want. If things do not go as they want, they become irritated and angry. Rather than solving problems and making peace, they often run people over. 

I think of two people in the Bible who could be called narcissists today. The first is King Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel. The second is Diotrephes in 3 John. He liked to put himself first, rejected authority, spoke wicked nonsense of others, refused to welcome the brothers, stopped those who wanted to and put them out of the church. 

If you would like to discover more about what the Bible says about this kind of person, take a look at www.biblicalperspectivesonnarcissism.com 

If you would like to understand more about emotional abuse and how to help people who are being treated in this way, please check out my books: 

The Emotionally Abusive Mindset: Its Effects & How to Overcome Them in Christ: https://mybook.to/EmotAbusiveMindset 

The Emotionally Abusive Husband: Its Effects & How to Overcome Them in Christ: https://mybook.to/EmotAbusiveHusband

 


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