Narcissistic Rage

A person who gives too much importance to himself, to the extent that he does not think about the feelings and sentiments of other people is said to be a narcissist. People who are narcissists consider themselves to be perfectionists who can never do anything wrong. They are governed by their false ego which requires ample amounts of admiration and praise to survive. It is said that narcissists live in a world of their own where they can think only about their problems and issues regarding power, prestige and personal adequacy. This makes them selfish individuals who do not have the ability to understand the problems of people around them. Such people are said to suffer from the problem of narcissistic personality disorder. As their egos are very fragile, a slight disrespect or challenge can lead to the development of fury which can cause harm to the person who was the reason for such provocation. Let us understand more about narcissism, its symptoms and treatment.

Narcissistic Syndrome
It is believed that narcissism is an attitude which is present in every individual and is actually important to be confident individuals. However, when this feeling of self worth exceeds certain limits, where one cannot see anyone other than oneself, one is said to have narcissistic personality disorder. Anger is a natural reaction that comes to humans when exposed to a provocative situation. However, such anger arises from a rational cause and dies down when one is able to express it. However, this fury is different from the anger that people usually feel. People who have this disorder need constant adulation, attention, compliments and subservience. Their narcissistic behavior makes live in the illusion that they are perfectionists and revered by people, irrespective of whether or not they have any accomplishments of their own. As narcissistic people are dependent on other people to boost their self-esteem, any challenge, negative remark or disagreement from other people can be considered to be criticism, rejection and mockery. They take it as a personal assault and lash out at the person who provoked them. This can cause physical as well as psychological harm to the other person.

Symptoms
The term 'narcissistic rage' was introduced by Heinz Kohut in his book, 'The Analysis of the Self'. As narcissists believe that they are perfect individuals who know everything and who can never go wrong, the thought that somebody is challenging their views or behavior can cause rage in them. This rage can be expressed in two ways. The most obvious way is explosive behavior where the person will lash out at the other person, both verbally as well as physically. Sometimes, too much rage can give rise to murderous thoughts in the narcissistic individuals. The other way of expressing their rage is the passive aggressive behavior where the person will not harm the person physically or mentally, but will punish them by giving silent treatment. However, the rage is not just targeted towards the person who provoked them, but also towards other innocent people.

Treatment
Though it is possible to treat a person who is suffering from narcissism, it cannot be done unless the person realizes that he has some problem. However, having such a thought is actually quite impossible for a narcissistic person who is self-obsessed. But, there are many narcissists who at some point in their lives realize that they have a problem and seek professional help to get rid of it. Unfortunately, this is not true in all cases and in such circumstances, it is important for victims of such fury to find help for themselves. Many times, living with a narcissistic individual and being a victim of his constant rage can make them believe that there is something wrong with them. In such cases, it is important for the victim to seek a psychiatrist or psychologist who can help them to realize the problem does not lie with them and aid them to bring back their self respect and confidence.

As I said earlier, treatment can be effective only if the narcissistic individual understands that there is something wrong with him and wants to change his attitude and behavior towards others. However, if your partner has not shown even a small inkling of realization or the want to change, then, it would be better to end the relationship and move on in life as it would be the best you can do to protect your sanity from the unreasonable wrath of your partner.