Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a difficult psychological disorder that afflicts many people – many of whom may never realize its effect on their lives. Narcissists often have a tendency of acting in subtle ways, only truly revealing their colors once they’re close to someone, such as in an intimate relationship or marriage.
Likewise, people often change after marriage, become more relaxed and reveal who they truly are, which could mean demonstrating their narcissistic behaviors. Narcissism can heavily affect marriages and cause psychological damage to victims. There are a few signs that the person you married is a narcissist – here’s what you should know:
The world revolves around your spouse
Galileo discovered that the earth revolves around the sun, but ask a narcissist and they’ll tell you the world revolves around them. NPD causes an inflated sense of self.
You may notice your spouse feels entitled to everything, invites themselves to parties, expects people to serve them at all times or acts as if they’re better than others – all of which are symptoms of narcissism.
You don’t have any privacy
Does it feel like you can’t keep any secrets to yourself around your spouse? Does your spouse want to know who you’re talking to, where you’re going and every detail of your relationships at work?
Narcissists are often paranoid and fear people are hiding things behind their backs. The paranoia and fear your spouse has could drive a wedge in your marriage and cause difficulties staying connected to family and friends.
It’s not easy to talk to narcissists about their issues. They can avoid tougher conversations and criticism. A self-entitled spouse can cause difficulties in marriage and lead couples to seek divorce. If so, you may need to reach out for legal help when dealing with the intricacies of divorce — because stepping away from a relationship with a narcissist is guaranteed to be complicated.
