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9 Lies Narcissists in Denial Tell Themselves

They lie all the time; why wouldn’t they lie to themselves

Christine Schoenwald
4 min readAug 17, 2021
Photo by Larm Rmah on Unsplash

Have you ever talked with a narcissist about narcissistic people? It feels like being on a game show where the goal is to get your partner to say or do something.

A narcissist rarely admits they’re a narcissist and instead will dance around the subject while still trying to come off as an expert on it. Narcissists always want to be the most knowledgeable person on any subject, even when the topic makes them uneasy.

It’s not surprising narcissists deny their narcissism — it’s not an attractive personality trait, and it doesn’t make you look good. Why would anyone want to be identified as a narcissist, least of all someone whose personality is built on falsehoods?

Since narcissists are adept at lying, their untruths aren’t only reserved for a select few — they don’t tell the truth to anyone, not even themselves. For most narcissists, it’s preferable to be in denial about their narcissism, then face facts.

In an article in Psychology Today, author, Julie L. Hall writes, “ Because their [narcissists’] personality structure is built around inflated self-importance (designed to scaffold unstable self-esteem), they hold reality at a distance and filter information to conform to…

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Christine Schoenwald
Christine Schoenwald

Written by Christine Schoenwald

Writer for The Los Angeles Times, Salon, Next Avenue, Business Insider, and Your Tango Christineschoenwaldwriter.com

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