Narcissistic Behavior Symptoms
No Rules, No Responsibility and No Remorse

 

 

by Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D.

 

Narcissism...No rules, no responsibility, no remorse. Sound like someone you know or once knew?

The concept of narcissistic abuse has been popularized during the past year. And many people are waking up...over just the term’s meaning. Many of these people are connecting the dots, clarifying the confusion that they live in their narcissistically abusive relationship.

When there are no rules, or shall we say when the rules that apply to others have no relevance to your partner, life is unpredictable and can be dangerous. For example, take a look at Norton and Jill.

Both Jill and Norton grew up in an upper middle class family socialized with similar norms, except for some reason they don’t apply to Norton.

His Toilet Is Wherever...

There is a common understanding in society wherein people are trained/socialized to utilize toilets to eliminate personal human waste. Yet, there are some of us who believe they have the right to relieve themselves without the toilet. Norton is one of these people.

Here is how this plays out. Jill has an appointment for a manicure and Norton seeks to accompany her, by dropping her off and picking her up. Sounds pretty ordinary, right?

However, after this manicure she is met with Norton, who happens to need to relieve his bladder. While it is true that the salon has a coffee shop (with a public men’s room) right next door, Norton prefers the outdoor concrete over the indoor toilet.

So naturally, once Jill steps into the car, he drives across the street to a neighboring parking lot in which he parks...steps out of the car, pulls out his penis, stands facing the vehicle and relieves himself with no care in the world.

Now this is a blatant example of “no rules.” Sometimes the obvious shows more than the eye can see. It certainly does for Jill.

Not Mine: No Accountability

Most people will tell you that you cannot own what is not yours. And this is true for the narcissist, as well. He/she is not responsible for that which does not apply to them. I trust you see where this is going.

You can’t own what doesn’t apply to you, because it is not yours. These people truly leave every morsel of responsibility on the table, because that is simply where it belongs—anywhere except with them.

These people can rape you (literally and/or figuratively)—knowing they have taken something not given—and claim no accountability for their actions…whatsoever, thereafter. They are not accountable because the rules truly do not apply to them. Or, it might be that they have their own rules.

The net result: no accountability, no responsibility, no change.

Remorse Is for the Guilty

For the narcissist, there truly is no remorse because they have done nothing wrong, so what’s to feel bad for?

I have seen cases in which the lack of remorse is so chilling that you feel like you are in The Silence of the Lambs. The eeriness of the remorse void in its living color is utterly stunning.

Take a look at it with Norton and Jill. Norton coerces Jill (in a relentless gorilla-like fashion) to engage in an activity to benefit him all while she is significantly injured. And he does this without any concern for the consequences to her.

His grossly abusive, manipulative and exploitive maneuvers to accomplish this are so blatantly apparent that his blindness in its context could make one with a conscience vomit. While looking at her in a knee-high orthopedic brace weeks following their coerced journey, Norton expresses his “remorseful sentiments” coldly saying: “You didn’t need to go after all.”

These people have the capacity to inflict obvious (and often intentional) injury and truly not care. Moreover, they take insult to your expectation for their accountability. They are the ones who smile inside when they recognize their destructive/disempowering impact on you. Why should one except remorse, to the contrary. These folks are delighted by their success in your demise...as it replenishes them, empowers them and it asserts their assumed, unreasonable rights.

All this bringing you back to no rules, no responsibility and no remorse. If you recognize these characteristics in your partner and these dynamics in your relationship, seek to fully understand narcissistic behavior symptoms.

For more information on partner narcissistic abuse dynamics, visit http://www.enddomesticabuse.org/narcissistic_abuse.php and claim Free Instant Access to The 7 Realities of Verbal Abuse. Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D. helps people worldwide recognize, end and heal from domestic abuse.

© Dr Jeanne King — Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention