All You Need To Know About Narcissist Collapse

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a mental health condition that can make a person uphold grandiose and ultimate confidence levels. Have you ever wondered, what happens to a person with NPD when they are unable to uphold grandiosity or confidence levels due to a blown-out reputation? This leads to an emotional breakdown called narcissist collapse.

Narcissist collapse can manifest in the form of irritability, defensive behaviors, anger outbursts, or physical or verbal aggression. During the episode of narcissist collapse, a person with NPD struggles with a lost sense of self, abandonment issues, and perceived rejection. Not only do NPD people struggle with the impacts of narcissist collapse but their loved ones also struggle with the impacts directly or indirectly.

In this blog, we will take a deep look at narcissist collapse, its signs, triggers, effects, and more. Let’s get started!

Taking a Look at the Basics First…

• What is narcissism?

The term narcissism is used to denote a person who is self-serving, selfish, and does not care about others.

• What is narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)?

NPD is a mental health condition that revolves around narcissistic traits which are unchangeable. Some of the symptoms can be managed and some traits of NPD are unchangeable which includes grandiosity. NPD people tend to have low self-esteem and are prone to struggle with narcissistic collapse.

• What is narcissistic collapse?

Narcissistic collapse happens when a person with NPD is not able to uphold grandiosity or confidence levels due to a blown-out reputation. Narcissist collapse can manifest in the form of irritability, defensive behaviors, anger outbursts, or physical or verbal aggression.

Now, let’s read the overview of narcissistic collapse in brief…

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Narcissistic Collapse?

One of the major signs of narcissistic collapse is that the person struggling with narcissistic collapse feels abandoned and alone due to which, they often last out at their close or loved ones. Apart from this, below are some other common signs and symptoms of narcissistic collapse:

• Anger outbursts
• Defensive behaviors
• Depressive episodes
• Irritation
• Increased verbal or physical aggression
• Increased perceived rejection
• Social withdrawal
• Vindictive behaviors

What Triggers Narcissistic Collapse?

Narcissistic collapse is not listed as a specific disorder which is why it does not stand for an official diagnosis. Self-crumbling is one of the major signs of narcissistic collapse. The intensity of symptoms basically depends on the intensity of the triggers. Some psychologists or researchers also compare narcissistic collapse with ego death or loss of ego.

Anything or any situation that breaks the confidence or grandiosity of a narcissistic person can lead to narcissistic collapse. For example, letting go of a relationship, leaving a job, or any stressful situation. These triggers can cause excessive irritability, defensive behaviors, and social withdrawal.

What are the Effects of Narcissistic Collapse?

As mentioned above, narcissistic collapse not only disturbs the narcissist but also the people around them. Here’s how narcissistic collapse affects the narcissist and their loved ones:

Effects on the Narcissist: The narcissist struggling with narcissistic collapse experiences a lost sense of self which also makes them lose their self-worth, quality of life, and interpretation of others. The spiral of narcissistic collapse can make them feel alone, empty, and abandoned which can also result in depressive thoughts or self-harm.

Effects on Other People: Loved or close ones of NPD people also struggle with the effects of narcissistic collapse because of hypervigilance, anxiety, anger, and withdrawal. In such cases, some people might want to stay close to NPD people for their protection despite knowing the consequences and some might choose to distance themselves for their own protection.

How to Deal with a Narcissistic Collapse?

Since the effects of narcissistic collapse are heavy on NPD and their loved ones, it’s important to take care of everyone involved. Here’s how you can deal with narcissistic collapse with an NPD diagnosis:

• The first step is to lose sense of self, in order to do that you will need to understand your triggers and traits and work accordingly to fix them.
• The second step is to build a support system so that your loved ones can remind you of your self-worth and self-esteem and provide you space to disconnect yourself from the collapse.
• The final step is to develop a strong sense of self to surpass the criticisms and find new ways to fix them.

Here’s how you can deal with narcissistic collapse as NPD’s loved one:

• Maintain your sense of self, empathy, and respect during the process to support your loved one.
• Avoid lashing out personally and instead try to work on resolving their problems.
• In order to build self-esteem in them again, work on your self-esteem levels.

What to do After a Narcissistic Collapse?

The recovery process can be a bit difficult but it can be resolved with time and resilience. Regaining a lost sense of self takes time, during this period, a narcissist can really try to maintain their personality by seeking good habits and leaving the older ones (the ones who troubled them or others). The ability to work on these traits must be so strong. Accepting, acknowledging, and moving on must be their mantra to increase the chances of recovery.

I hope this blog helps you understand everything you need to know about narcissist collapse. Comment down and share your views through the same or you can also write to us at Calm Sage.

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Thanks for reading!