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If looking at the above image made you feel uncomfortable at worst or nothing at best, there’s a good chance you were raised by a narcissistic father. Narcissism is a personality trait characterized by a lack of empathy, an inflated self-image, and an excessive need for admiration. While all humans tend to have some degree …
Power dynamics are a natural part of every relationship, especially romantic relationships. For a relationship to work, both parties should be able to share power equally. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. When one person steps on the rights and needs of the other in an attempt to meet their own needs, the relationship becomes …
A close bond between a parent and child is normal and healthy. But there is such a thing as too much closeness, even in the context of a parent-child relationship. Enmeshed or overly close relationships are common in families and lead to a blurring of boundaries between the family members. A child who is enmeshed …
Enmeshment occurs in a relationship, when two people are too close to each other for it to be a healthy dynamic. It can happen in any relationship, but it is common in the parent-child dynamic. When two people are in an enmeshed relationship, their boundaries become blurred or non-existent. It’s like the two people are …
Social anhedonia is a reduced ability or an inability to derive pleasure, happiness, and joy from social interactions. It’s a type of anhedonia, a broader term that implies a failure to derive pleasure from something that is usually pleasurable and enjoyable. Being a social species, humans naturally experience a sense of pleasure and joy when …
Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD) is characterized by avoidant social behaviors. Someone with APD avoids social situations and feels inadequate, anxious, and shy. They’re hypervigilant to social threats and fear rejection, criticism, and shame. A disorder is characterized by dysfunction and distress. In some disordered individuals, however, there’s distress, but there’s no dysfunction. They can even …
Scopophobia, also called scoptophobia or ophthalmophobia, is an excessive and irrational fear of being seen or stared at. It is derived from the Greek skopia, meaning ‘observation’ and phobos, meaning ‘fear’. Scopophobia is a specific phobia of a specific social situation that may or may not be a part of social anxiety or social phobia. …
Relationship trauma, also called Post-traumatic Relationship Syndrome (PTRS), is when your past relationship affects your current mental health negatively. It can occur due to abuse or betrayal. Although relationship trauma can occur in any relationship, it’s commonly talked about in the context of intimate relationships. The symptoms of relationship trauma occur after the end of …
Trauma bonding happens when there’s a cycle of abuse going on in a relationship. Sometimes the other person is abusive towards you, and at other times, they’re good to you. This creates an intermittent reinforcement pattern that hooks you to the relationship. You know there’s something wrong with the relationship, but you can’t leave because …
Narcissism, like many other personality traits, exists on a spectrum. Most people have a mix of narcissistic and empathic traits. In some people, however, their narcissistic side overshadows their empathic side. We call these people narcissists. If their narcissistic tendencies are so pervasive and severe that they negatively impact their lives, they’re likely to suffer …