How To Know The Difference Between Narcissists, Sociopaths and Borderline Personalities.

“Narcissist” is a common buzzword today — so are words like “sociopath” and “psychopath.” Unfortunately, people throw these words around without really knowing what they entail, which can be dangerous. Today, we will break down the differences between narcissists, sociopaths, psychopaths, and borderline personalities. Some intertwine, but there are clear distinctions between them.

Narcissists

The first thing to understand: all of us are narcissists. Narcissism is a spectrum, and your extent depends on how far along you are on that spectrum. Some narcissism is healthy — we need it to survive and self-advocate. However, as you go further along on the narcissistic spectrum, the traits become abusive.

Secondly, narcissism is a trait, not a disorder. It’s not a chemical imbalance or psychological disorder. Narcissism stems from severe childhood abuse and neglect, leaving the Narcissist insecure and needing constant outside validation. Narcissists will feel guilt and shame (primarily shame) when they do something wrong because they fear others’ thoughts. It’s an external condition, not an internal condition. That’s why we see such heavy narcissism in the social media generations — the need for external validation (via likes and comments) is only…