Am I a healthy narcissist?

 

Answer: Yes, if you can say yes to most of the items on this list. 

Wendy T Behary, author of Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving and Thriving with the Self-Absorbed  wrote the list (p 28-9).

  

  1. Empathic:  attuned to the inner world of others;
  2. Engaging: charismatic, socially literate and interpersonally companionable;
  3. A leader: able to conceptualize a purpose of vision, and able to formulate a direction when collaborating with others;
  4. Self-possessed ( not selfish): confident and rigorously committed to generosity and authenticity;
  5. Seeks recognition: fueled by approval ratings and motivated to make a difference;
  6. Determined: able to push beyond the dense briars of opposition;
  7. Confrontational: can hold others accountable without assassinating their souls;
  8. Wisely fearful: able to discern between reasonably disquieting solicitation and destructive seduction.

This isn’t a properly validated scale or anything, but it sure does describe a nice-sounding person! When I first read it, I thought, “I’d like to grow into this  wonderful person one day!”