The internet is a wonderous source of information.

[NotLettingItGo]

Take this for example.

The most telling thing that narcissists do is contradict themselves. They will do this virtually in the same sentence, without even stopping to take a breath. It can be trivial (e.g., about what they want for lunch) or it can be serious (e.g., about whether or not they love you). When you ask them which one they mean, they'll deny ever saying the first one, though it may literally have been only seconds since they said it -- really, how could you think they'd ever have said that? You need to have your head examined! They will contradict FACTS. They will lie to you about things that you did together. They will misquote you to yourself. If you disagree with them, they'll say you're lying, making stuff up, or are crazy. [At this point, if you're like me, you sort of panic and want to talk to anyone who will listen about what is going on: this is a healthy reaction; it's a reality check ("who's the crazy one here?"); that you're confused by the narcissist's contrariness, that you turn to another person to help you keep your bearings, that you know something is seriously wrong and worry that it might be you are all signs that you are not a narcissist]. NOTE: Normal people can behave irrationally under emotional stress -- be confused, deny things they know, get sort of paranoid, want to be babied when they're in pain. But normal people recover pretty much within an hour or two or a day or two, and, with normal people, your expressions of love and concern for their welfare will be taken to heart. They will be stabilized by your emotional and moral support. Not so with narcissists -- the surest way I know of to get a crushing blow to your heart is to tell a narcissist you love her or him. They will respond with a nasty power move, such as telling you to do things entirely their way or else be banished from them for ever.

[NotLettingItGo]

I wonder if anyone here recognises this.

Narcissists lack a mature conscience and seem to be restrained only by fear of being punished or of damaging their reputations -- though, again, this can be obscure to casual observation if you don't know what they think their reputations are, and what they believe others think of them may be way out of touch with reality. Their moral intelligence is about at the level of a bright five- or six-year-old; the only rules they recognize are things that have been specifically required, permitted, prohibited, or disapproved of by authority figures they know personally. Anyhow, narcissists can't be counted on not to do something just because it's wrong, illegal, or will hurt someone, as long as they think that they can get away with it or that you can't stop them or punish them (i.e., they don't care what you think unless they're afraid of you)

[Barbarossa]

spam

[NotLettingItGo]

After months of certain members of this board diagnosing me as being mentally ill, I have identified the specific mental illness which those members suffer from.

That's not spam.

[Squeamous]

It's spam-fan-spastic

[NotLettingItGo]

The main thing is everyone is all having a laugh innit.

[mjmacky]

I am a narcissist, what of it?

[Quarterquack]

You know, if you hadn't removed the vast majority of what you said, it's at this point that I'd quote you saying something along the lines of "You don't know who I am! You can't diagnose me online, Artemis! You know nothing about me but the side I've chosen to show here!"

Now, before you articulate your response to this post, I'll be nicer to you than Macky has ever been and let you in on the trap. If you contradict what I've just said, then we all larf epically at how ironic it is that you fit your own description of a narcissistic personality.

If you choose to agree with it, then this post, and by extension your upcoming few thousand posts, are all pointless and you might as well fuck off for good at this point.

[mjmacky]

You know, if you hadn't removed the vast majority of what you said, it's at this point that I'd quote you saying something along the lines of "You don't know who I am! You can't diagnose me online, Artemis! You know nothing about me but the side I've chosen to show here!"

Now, before you articulate your response to this post, I'll be nicer to you than Macky has ever been and let you in on the trap. If you contradict what I've just said, then we all larf epically at how ironic it is that you fit your own description of a narcissistic personality.

If you choose to agree with it, then this post, and by extension your upcoming few thousand posts, are all pointless and you might as well fuck off for good at this point.

Thanks for pointing out that I deliberately trap people, cock gobbler.

[NotLettingItGo]

Just as well I'm not going to contadict you then isn't it

I can certainly recognise some of myself in what I've been reading, so I most definitely do exhibit some narcissistic behaviour. Thankfully I don't have the trait which has me shitting all over other people without care or reason, and am willing to accept when I've done wrong towards another, as I have with regards to my apology to megabyteme, and my acceptance of his right to treat me like shit for that vile comment.

The really interesting thing about this though, isn't that what I'm reading fits any specific member here (although it does fit more than one) it's that those people are all gathered together being 'mates'. Similarly I can look back and see that the other board (notice the singular there, not the plural as someone here would have you believe) where I was treated as I have been here equally contained a lot of people who all fitted so many of the characteristics of this disorder.

I wonder if that's an internet thing? That the internet is a place where people with personality disorders naturally gather together with similar disorders to be 'mates'.