Research shows a link between narcissism and aggression

Dealing with a narcissist can be quite challenging and raises many of your questions. A healthy relationship with a narcissist is therefore extremely difficult; they are terrible to argue with, generally very difficult to deal with and not very good for your self-esteem. Research also shows that there is a strong link between narcissism and aggression, and that is certainly something to watch out for.

The numbers do not lie. In the journal Psychological Bulletin, it was reported that two scientists conducted 437 studies involving more than 123,000 people in total to reach their conclusions. What turned out? Narcissists exhibit 21 percent more aggression and 18 percent more violence. The scientists themselves were quite shocked by this; especially since the percentage of people who feel that aggression and the percentage of people who actually resort to physical violence is quite small.

They also investigated the biggest trigger for narcissists to resort to aggression, which turned out to be provocation. People with a narcissistic disorder react more aggressively when they feel challenged or threatened. Especially when they are insulted or ignored during an argument, they can completely lose control. That can be quite dangerous, so it is certainly something to keep in mind when you find yourself in such a situation with a narcissist.

That is why it is important to quickly recognize a narcissist, but also to know how to deal with them.