Narcissistic Entitlement: What You Can Do By Darlene Lancer, JD, LMFT Narcissistic entitlement is the foremost trait people close to a narcissist complain about. Examples are someone who behaves like the normal rules don’t apply to them—someone who expects special treatment, reacts with fury to small disappointments, or swings between demanding everything from you and treating you like you don’t matter. Entitlement reveals how narcissists see themselves as the center of the universe. They feel entitled to get what they want from others regardless of their behavior and expect you to listen to them, but have little interest in your affairs. They rarely recognize this as hypocritical, because they feel superior and special—feelings that mask their insecurity. Norms of courtesy don’t apply to them, except when they want to make a good impression. Their time feels more valuable than others, so waiting in line or facing travel delays feels unjust, thoug...
The Four Types of Infidelity and How to Cope By Terry Gaspard, MSW, LICSW Infidelity is all too common and when it occurs it raises many questions. Should you stay? Can trust be rebuilt? Of all of the real-life stories of women interviewed for my research, Penny’s story best illustrates the searing pain of infidelity and how it can be toxic to all family members. Penny, in her late thirties, says with passion in her voice, “My dad is a musician and his pattern was to marry (three times) and be happy at first. Then he went out to play the guitar, and he didn’t come home for several weeks. As I said earlier, he wasn’t a family man and should never have gotten married.” As a young adult, Penny reenacted patterns from her past when she married Steven, who had several flings during their ten-year marriage. Penny was attracted to a partner who bore a strong resemblance to her father – who was emotionally unavailable and unfaithful to her mother. In order to better understand infidelity...