Paranoia is an experience of persistent fear that we have enemies who will cause us severe harm or ultimately, death.  On a conscious level the narcissist feels superior and triumphant.  The narcissist is entitled to do whatever he wants. He or she has no sense of limits in gratifying his ego needs. Fortune is always smiling down on  narcissists, showering them with worldly rewards of power and monetary largesse that they deserve.  Narcissists who are very successful in the world consciously feel invincible. They are arrogant and look down upon those who have not succeeded. 

Beneath the surface of the narcissistic personality, the terrain is bleak, empty and treacherous. The narcissist battles with real and imagined enemies. He has burned many bridges on his ruthless drive  to success. The narcissist has used his cunning and manipulation to sideswipe even trusting business partners, spouses and friends to achieve his goals. Many of those whom he has betrayed have come to hate him and wish him ill. The narcissist fears the wrath of imagined enemies. From childhood these individuals never felt a sense of basic trust in their being. This concept comes from the work of psychoanalyst Erik Erikson who tells us that in the first year of life the baby establishes the way he feels about his primary caretakers and his sense of self. The choice is that of Basic Trust or Mistrust.  The narcissist on an unconscious level  suffers from a deep mistrust in himself and the world around him.  The hot breaths of the hounds are always at his heels, waiting to viciously attack. The narcissist was raised by a parent(s) who cared about him conditionally. They chose him because of certain qualities of appearance, mental acuity, artistic talent, etc. to be their special child. He was groomed to be the perfect one they could turn to and admire. The narcissist was never loved for his unique genuine individuality. He was a puppet of the parents, molded and prodded  to do their bidding to make them feel more important and powerful.  Beneath it all, the narcissist feels powerless and enraged.  This leads to his paranoid delusions.  

Summing it up, the narcissist despite his adoring audience, the sum total of all his accomplishments and worldly glory, is, in essence, a fearful, empty paranoid child, incapable of love and of being genuinely human. Visit my website: www.thenarcissistinyourlife.com


Linda Martinez-Lewi, Ph.D. 
Telephone Consultation
Email:lmlphd@gmail.com