They
develop hubris and a false sense of immunity.
Narcissistic immunity is the (erroneous) feeling, harboured by the
narcissist, that he is impervious to the consequences of his actions,
that he will never be effected by the results of his own decisions,
opinions, beliefs, deeds and misdeeds, acts, inaction, or membership of
certain groups, that he is above reproach and punishment, that,
magically, he is protected and will miraculously be saved at the last
moment. Hence the audacity, simplicity, and transparency of some of the
fraud and corporate looting in the 1990's. Narcissists rarely bother to
cover their traces, so great is their disdain and conviction that they
are above mortal laws and wherewithal.
What are the sources of this unrealistic appraisal of situations and
events?
The false self is a childish response to abuse and trauma. Abuse is not
limited to sexual molestation or beatings. Smothering, doting,
pampering, over-indulgence, treating the child as an extension of the
parent, not respecting the child's boundaries, and burdening the child
with excessive expectations are also forms of abuse.
The child reacts by constructing false self that is possessed of
everything it needs in order to prevail: unlimited and instantaneously
available Harry Potter-like powers and wisdom.
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