INTHEBLACK February 2023 - Magazine - Page 40
F E AT U R E
NARCISSISTIC ROOTS
Understanding the fundamental drivers
of narcissism is key to identifying and
responding to love bombing. Narcissistic
behaviour is motivated by a desire to project
a positive image and receive attention in the
form of praise.
“At its core, narcissism is a psychological
wound,” says Michael Bunting, leadership
development expert and the author of
Vertical Growth. “It is compensation for
a lack of self-worth. Its source is usually
trauma in childhood.”
40 INTHEBLACK February 2023
Bunting emphasises that narcissism is
something we all have, to differing degrees.
“The part of us that worries about how
people think about us is the narcissistic part
of ourselves,” he says. “It is the part of the self
that wants to look a certain way in order to
get someone’s approval.”
Narcissism reaches a disordered level
when a person opts to maintain their version
of events over the truth to validate their
self-image.
“Narcissism is the hardest of the disorders
to fix,” says Bunting. “Narcissists are usually