What Are The Ways To Prevent Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

A narcissistic personality disorder is one among several other types of personality disorders. It is characterized by an inflated sense of one’s self-importance, a need for constant, excessive admiration and attention, lack of empathy for others, as well as relational problems with those around them. It is difficult to prevent narcissistic personality disorder because there is no exact defined cause of Narcissistic personality disorder. Nevertheless, knowing events or factors which can lead to this personality disorder can be helpful in finding ways to prevent the disorder. Having a narcissistic personality disorder can be problematic to the individual in terms of the quality of their life at work, school and socially. Therefore, if there is any way(s) the disorder can be prevented early enough, and avoid living with narcissism, then it is better to take the prevention measures as there is no cure for the disorder.^[1]

The exact cause of narcissistic personality disorder is unknown. However, it is suspected that it could be as a result of an inherited genetic problem associated with the connection between the brain and one’s behavior and thoughts. Additionally, narcissistic personality disorder could arise due to environmental/social factors linked to how parents raise their kids. For example, kids who have parents who either overpraise them or neglect them are likely to develop NPD during their teenage years or early adulthood. Also, abuse during childhood years and unpredictable parental care can attribute to the disorder.^[1]

Now that we have an idea of how can become narcissistic, we can tackle ways to prevent an individual from developing the condition. Genetically, it is unlikely that one can prevent the disorder from occurring. But then again, if you suspect you could develop narcissistic personality disorder due to family history, you can armor yourself early enough on how to handle the condition. As a parent, there are several ways you can adapt so as not to raise a narcissist.

First things first, you can teach your children how to connect well with others instead of impressing them. If you are accustomed to overpraising your child telling him/her how special or handsome/beautiful they are, it could be detrimental in that they will crave the admiration from others too. Instead, let the child know they are special to you and show them genuine love by personalizing a compliment. You should also teach your children to be empathetic, and understanding as well as respectful of other people’s feelings, emotions, and thoughts. This can easily be achieved by talking about feelings whenever they come up and allowing them to take initiatives in various acts of kindness. Additionally, you should let your kids connect with other kids and understand the beauty of friendships.

It is natural for children to react in a narcissistic way, but it does not mean they have a narcissistic personality disorder. Whenever they act insensitively towards others, you can call them aside and let them see the other person’s point of view and what was wrong with how they acted. But be careful to do it in a nice gentle way, and with compassion, keeping it in mind that they are just kids. If they do mess up, try and emphasize more on making amends, rather than convincing them they are wrong and bad.^[2]

Living with narcissism is not as easy as it is a mental condition that interferes with your behavior and thoughts. Needless say, as much as you had wanted to change your ways, you can find it hard to really look deep into yourself and see your flaws. Therefore, to lead a better life as a narcissist, you had have to really work hard to want to change and have a constant motivation to stay in therapy. Ways in which you can live better with narcissism include changing what you choose to change, identify your triggers and be willing to learn how to respond better to them, try to delay any unwanted behaviors, and think more of how to react in an ideal manner. Once you have started to make progress, review your accomplishments and identify areas where you want to improve on.^[3]

There are several ways through which you can prevent narcissistic personality disorder. In cases of environmental and societal factors associated with parenting, parents can learn how to culture their children’s personality better. Societal interventions such as prevention of child abuse, substance abuse, and domestic violence can also be helpful in reducing cases of NPD, as well as other personality disorders.^[4]

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