Everyone has moment when they're a little full of themselves. But if you notice your partner takes a little too much of an interest in their own needs more often than not, you may be dating a narcissist.
Like all personality types, narcissists come in many different forms, but INSIDER talked to some experts about the typical traits of your friendly neighborhood narcissist.
They're overly complimentary at first.
Narcissists will start out by "love bombing" you, meaning they'll start out by being weirdly nice and complimentary, David Bennett, counselor and co-author of the site "The Popular Man," told INSIDER. But that will quickly change.
Bennett recommends looking at how they treat others and talk about the people in their life. If they're a narcissist, you'll see some bad patterns emerge.
"Look for clues as to how they treat others," he said. "If the person you're dating brags about manipulating others, or people they have dated in the past, I guarantee you'll be the next to be manipulated and mistreated."
They never shut up.
Narcissists love to hear the sound of their own voice — and their favorite topic is themselves. If they ignore your concerns or never ask about your life, they may be a narcissist.
"You could be talking to your partner about a health scare you had and the conversation drifts to their stress at work,"therapist Kimberly Hershenson told INSIDER. "If you find that the discussion always becomes about your partner this could be a sign they are a narcissist."
They feel they're owed something.
Narcissists have an overwhelming feeling that the world owes them something. They believe that the world is here to serve their whims and that everyone should read their mind. It's not pretty when something reminds them that's not how the world works.
"If they tend to feel like they are misunderstood or not valued, this may be a sign of narcissism," said Hershenson.
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