Divorcing A Narcissist

Although any divorce proceeding can be become stressful and emotionally difficult, those individuals who are married to a spouse with Narcissistic Personality Disorder may find that the process becomes that much more difficult. Narcissistic Personality Disorder is “characterized by a long-standing pattern of grandiosity (either in fantasy or actual behavior), an overwhelming need for admiration, and usually a complete lack of empathy toward others.” Some signs of Narcissistic Personality Disorder include: grandiose sense of self-importance; preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty or ideal love; believes that he or she is special and unique; requires excessive admiration; has a sense of entitlement; lacks empathy; is envious or believes that other people envy them; and behaves in an arrogant manner. These characteristics combine to create an extremely difficult and drawn-out divorce process. Narcissists cannot deal with rejection and therefore may be motivated to use the court system and divorce process as a way to seek revenge and hurt their spouse. If you believe that the spouse that you are divorcing is a narcissist, it is important that you contact a matrimonial attorney, who can help to alleviate your stress and move the process along with help from the Court.

Posted by Alyssa Bongiovanni, Esq.