Narcissist And Empath Relationship: Interesting Differences in Personality

Empaths and narcissists have no match. They are poles apart and it is impossible to imagine an empath and a narcissist in a relationship. However, somehow both these personality types do cross paths and often tend to leave a mark on one another.

We’ve all heard opposites attract but for how long? Empaths and narcissists are opposites and they might be attracted to each other. According to relationship psychologists, a relationship between two people who are completely opposite has a higher probability of turning toxic and resulting in a divorce/breakup.

The question is why would empaths get attracted to narcissists and vice versa? Let me tell you why…

Narcissists And Empaths Relationship

Empaths are those people who are emotionally wired. They operate on emotions and are quick to observe other people’s emotional vulnerabilities too. Empaths not only are able to understand others’ pain but often internalize the pain to the extent that they can literally feel the other person’s pain.

On the other hand, narcissistic people are completely opposite. They do not function on emotions but since they can judge how the other person is feeling, they end up using that information for their benefit. They are self-absorbed and think very highly of themselves, which is not the case with empaths.

Also Read: Do You Feel Too Deeply? Check Out What Being a Deep Feeler Means…

How is it possible for such opposites to be in a relationship? Well, it’s not that difficult to understand. Empaths, because of their high emotional intelligence, can understand the pain behind a narcissistic approach. They don’t take offense because they know a narcissistic person has had a troubled past and that’s why they are the way they are. Therefore, out of concern, an empath can fall in love with a narcissistic person.

A narcissist gets attracted to an empath because they are very gullible and can be easily manipulated. In fact, an empath does everything a narcissist enjoys therefore, it becomes a two-way path.

However, sooner or later most relationships where one keeps giving and the other keeps demanding are likely to end in the future.  In such relationships, both narcissists and empaths experience relationship burnout because both of them are running on parallel paths that are never meant to meet.

Also read: Dark Empaths: The Most Dangerous Personality Type

Now that you know why these two opposites attract each other, wouldn’t it be interesting to know how different they are from each other?

Let’s have a look at some interesting differences between these two personalities…

Empath And Narcissist: Differences In Personality

1. Awareness of their emotions:

Empaths are extremely aware of their emotions as well as the emotions of the people around them. Whereas a narcissistic person has little to no awareness of their true emotions or the reason behind why they are feeling the way they are feeling.

2. Empathy for others:

Empaths are highly empathetic people, they can sense others’ feelings and pain and often try to comfort them. However, on the contrary, narcissists only think of themselves, they do not care about how the other person is feeling because they are busy praising themselves.

3. Setting boundaries:

It is very difficult for empaths to set boundaries because they get so involved in helping others that end up ignoring their own needs. On the other hand, narcissists are very good at setting boundaries, they don’t care about other people’s feelings therefore it is very easy for them to enforce their boundaries.

4. Communication:

Empaths definitely have a better communication style as they are very good listeners. Empaths feel the need to help others (even when not asked for), listening to someone’s problems gives them a better understanding of where the other person is coming from. Now, narcissists are nowhere close to empaths when communication is concerned. Narcissists are often seen boasting about themselves. They often begin and end the conversion and do not bother about what others have to say.

5. Need for attention:

Now there is a little bit of similarity between narcissists and empaths when it comes to the need for attention. Both these personalities need attention, the only difference here is that empaths willingly return the amount of attention they have been receiving but a narcissistic person will never pay attention to someone else unless they need something from them

6. Dealing with criticism:

Empaths do not find it difficult to digest criticism, they are open to receiving it and often work towards and learning from their mistakes. However narcissist can’t handle criticism, they get angry and upset when someone criticizes them because in their world they are perfect.

7. Ability to be kind to others:

Empaths are one of the kindest of people because they can genuinely understand other’s pain. They often go out of their way to help other people. Whereas narcissistic people do not have any ‘kind’ bone in them. They will show kindness towards people from time to time but only to maintain their image in public or when they need a favor from others.

8. Mental health:

empaths are very self-aware and are capable of understanding their emotions. They can understand their emotional problems because they pay attention to their emotional cues. On the other hand, narcissists are often seen struggling with their mental health issues because they do not have acceptance, they find it difficult to process their traumatic feelings and often try to suppress their true emotions.

How To Protect Yourself From a Narcissist?

Every relationship in the beginning seems like nothing can be more perfect than the two of you. However, being in a relationship with a narcissist can become toxic very soon. Narcissists are incapable of showing compassion or loving unconditionally.

To know more about how you can protect yourself from a narcissist, click here!

When To Seek Help?

Being in a relationship with a narcissist can be challenging because they often take over your life and begin controlling you. Is it possible to have a successful relationship with a narcissist? Of course yes! Are all relationships with narcissists successful? Unfortunately, no!

If you think you are in a relationship with a narcissist where there is no respect and no boundaries, know that it’s time to leave. Narcissists have a tendency to take control of your life. If you begin feeling suffocated in your relationship, know that you need help.

If you have started feeling trapped in your relationship and are feeling lost, you need to get some professional help. Betterhelp has a number of trained professionals to help you in this hour of need.

Final Thoughts

Being in a relationship and having someone to share your life with is the most beautiful feeling in life. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle with someone who doesn’t respect you. Narcissists can be controlling and being in such a relationship can become challenging.

If you really love your narcissistic partner, tell them how you feel. If they really love you back, they will try to make changes to make your relationship work. However, if things don’t fall in place, know that sometimes holding on can hurt more than letting go.

That’s All Folks!

I hope you found this blog about the relationship between a narcissist and an empath and how different they are from each other interesting and informative. Do share this blog with your friends and family so that we can all understand why narcissists and empaths are attracted to each other and what draws them apart.

Thanks for reading.

Take care and stay safe.