Is Your Ex A Narcissist, Dismissive Avoidant Or Just Selfish?

How can you tell if your ex is a narcissist, a dismissive avoidant or just selfish?

1. Praise and recognition

Narcissists expect to be recognized as superior and special even without superior accomplishments, and feel hurt if they don’t get enough recognition or compliments.

Dismissive avoidants like it when others recognize their accomplishment but get uncomfortable when praised especially if it’s over the top because it makes them feel pressured to return the “favour”; which to a dismissive avoidant is saying they need or depend on others for validation. This goes against their high sense of independence.

2. Toxic attention-seeking

Narcissists expect constant attention, admiration and positive reinforcement from others. They’ll talk themselves up, say nice things about you and even do the “enemy of my enemy is a friend” thing to get your attention. Once they have your attention, they ignore your boundaries, intrude into your space and time and space and act like you owe them attention.

Dismissive avoidants shy away from constant attention because they see it as someone trying to bond with them which makes them uneasy. They might like a bit of attention and admiration but are suspicious of the motives of people who pay them too much attention and are overwhelmed and turned off by people who want too much attention.

3. Self-indulgence

Narcissists are prone to self-indulgence and excesses and put their needs, wants and desires above all others. They feel and act like others are responsible for their well-being and are there to satisfy their needs and desires.

Dismissive avoidants mostly deny they have needs but given a choice between their needs and others’ needs, dismissive avoidants will put their needs and wants first. But unlike narcissists, dismissive avoidants are very self-controlled and do not expect others to meet their needs nor do they want or allow them to. They function at their best by themselves and don’t trust others can meet their needs or wants.

4. Preoccupation with success

Narcissists are preoccupied with thoughts and fantasies of great success, enormous attractiveness, power and  intelligence. They play victim when not noticed or helped and will destroy anyone who stands in their way.

Dismissive avoidants can be preoccupied with great success, enormous attractiveness, power, intelligence but prefer to do everything alone and won’t ask for support or take it when offered.

5. Empathy

Narcissists can’t genuinely emotionally connect with others but are very good at reading and understanding the emotions of others (even if they do not feel them themselves) which allows them to manipulate those emotions in self-serving ways that fulfill their needs.

Dismissive avoidants also generally lack the ability to empathize (some are highly empathetic) with the feelings or desires of others but they also have a hard time reading, understanding or processing how others are feeling which can be felt by others as emotional neglect or abuse. Some attachment experts suggest that dismissive avoidants feel empathy but block it because they’re uncomfortable with others’ emotions and how it makes them feel.

6. Humility/human decency

Narcissists are often loud, arrogant, aggressive, very big in their presentation and like to boast about real or exaggerated accomplishments or power. They want everyone to know how smart they are, how much they have, how much attention they get or how much they’re liked etc.

Dismissive avoidants are mostly indifferent to the world around them and orientated towards protecting themselves than seeking the admiration of others. To them attention attracts people who want to get close and they prefer not to be bothered at all – which can be interpreted as arrogance.

7. Manipulation

Narcissists are calculating and cunning and are honestly impressed and even surprised by their ability to manipulate others. They’re not shy about their manipulative persuasiveness, the transactional nature of every relationship, and often boast about their ability to get others to do their bidding. The more influence they have over others and the more they can get away with, the bolder they become.

Dismissive avoidants avoid relationships and are turned off by manipulative games and people who play them, but dismissive avoidants’ deactivating strategies, tendency not to fulfill promises, rigid boundaries, and my way or no way attitude can be interpreted as manipulative because they hurt the people who love them.

8. Being alone

Narcissists hate being alone for a long period of time. They get very depressed because they need the narcissistic supply of validation and praise to feel like they matter. Left alone for long periods of time, narcissists self-destruct because not even they can stand themselves.

Dismissive avoidants are comfortable with being alone for long periods of time which makes someone in a relationship with a dismissive avoidant feel all alone and lonely most of the time.

9. Self-identity and “moral” compass

Narcissists adapt to whatever persona gets them what they need and whatever gives them control or gets them the attention they so crave. They are willing to cross social moral boundaries and use underhanded tactics (even if it harms the other person or the relationship) to achieve their goals.

Dismissive avoidants have a strong sense of self and a positive self concept. It’s very important for them to be independent and not lose their identity, but dismissive avoidant can be so protective of their independence and identity that they’re not aware of, or just don’t care about the potential consequences of their actions on others and/or relationships. Dismissive avoidants can also be very paranoid about someone trying to control them.

10. Controlling others

Narcissists actively invite people into their lives, shower them with praise and admiration in an attempt to control and/or make others obligated to them, then turn around and insult, devalue and demonize when they feel rejected.

Dismissive avoidants see controlling others as too much “investment in the relationship” and don’t want the “extra responsibility” of managing another person. They have very strict boundaries but they’re to protect their independence and not to control anyone. As along as you don’t affect their independence and/or disrespect them, dismissive avoidants would care less what you do with your life.

11. Constant drama and chaos

Narcissists are unpredictable, unruly and intractable. They believe that the rules don’t apply to them because they’re superior and deserve special treatment. They’re at their best in the constant drama, chaos and instability they constantly create.

Dismissive avoidants interact with others based on the dismissive avoidant’s terms, but get emotionally overwhelmed by drama, chaos and instability. Dismissive avoidants find emotional volatility particularly triggering and deactivating.

12. Compulsive lying

Narcissists compulsively lie and gaslight to gain control, to look smarter or appear more dominant and to avoid accountability. They are breathtakingly dishonest and very good at creating alternate realties by blurring the lines between truth, innuendos and blatant lies.

Dismissive avoidants lie by omission to avoid accountability and avoid vulnerability, and can be very secretive. They may experience guilt about not being 100% truthful and/or secretive but less so if they believe that their deception is in the other person’s best interest. Lying by omission allows dismissive avoidants to feel good about themselves, avoid relational communication or conflicts and keep an emotional distance all at the same time.

13. Boundary overstepping

Narcissists are habitual boundary violators and get really triggered by someone saying “no” to them because they believe they’re entitled to preferential treatment.

Dismissive avoidants are good at respecting peoples and take pride in their ability to remain self-restrained and self-disciplined.

14. Envy and contempt

Narcissists (specific to malignant narcissists) are jealous and envious of anyone who has more than them, gets more attention or is more liked and may morph into that person or try to humiliate, discredit or harm them because a narcissist believes they’re in competition with that person.

Dismissive avoidants tend to minimize others’ qualities or accomplishments or ignore them altogether, and rarely compliment someone but they’re not envious of others and don’t actively try to “bring them down.”

15. Inability to form meaningful relationships

Narcissists hide their inability to form deep, meaningful, and loving relationships with love-bombing (persistent and overwhelming amounts of attention, admiration, and affection), tactical empathy (creating a false sense of safety and trust) and grandiose gestures.

Dismissive avoidants also hide their inability to form deep, meaningful, and loving relationships with keeping others at a distance, and most are open about not needing anyone and even feel proud telling someone they don’t need them which can leave someone feeling unwanted and unimportant.

16. Vulnerability

Narcissists can come across as “broken” and vulnerable which gives others a false sense of safety. But a narcissist’s ‘vulnerability’ is often an act used to elicit sympathy and attention and to gain control over others without feeling guilty or remorse about it.

Dismissive avoidants not only have a hard time being vulnerable, they also have a hard time recognizing vulnerability in others. And when they do, they avoid it because vulnerability (theirs and others’) makes them uncomfortable.

17. Reaction to rejection and being abandoned

Narcissists feel insulted by someone not liking them and feel deeply injured by others walking out of their life. They see it as betrayal and disloyalty, and a narcissist ex will hold a grudge and/or be fixated on revenge.

Dismissive avoidants don’t care about being liked, deactivate and/or detach when someone leaves, and don’t get torn up about being abandoned. They even feel relieved when a relationship ends; and most of the time when a dismissive avoidant ex is done with you, they’re done.

18. Trash-talk exes or people who hurt them

Narcissists trash their exes often to pre-emptively cast doubt should their ex try to contradict the image the narcissist projects to the world. They’ll do anything to take back control of the narrative including crocodile tears, unsubstituted “proof” and even flip the narrative to  where they left you because you’re evil and manipulative even though you broke up with them. The sad part is they’re actually successful at convincing even the smartest people that they’re the victim and even make others hate you too.

Dismissive avoidants try hard not to focus on what their ex is thinking or feeling, and mentally and emotionally block you after a break-up. Most dismissive avoidants actually get along better with exes now that they’re not in a relationship.

19. Regret and remorse

Narcissists almost never say “I’m sorry” or apologize or feel guilt. A narcissist’s regret, remorse, and sadness is about themselves (self-pity). After a break-up, for example, narcissists become self-focused on their hurt feelings and loss of their narcissistic supply. They may even cry because they want sympathy and/or manipulate how an ex feels.

Dismissive avoidants don’t often apologize or say “I’m sorry” but they feel guilt and remorse when they’ve wronged or hurt someone. They’re just so good at hiding how they truly feel.

20. Sense of entitlement

A narcissist’s problem is feeling entitled. Narcissists keep in touch with an ex after a break-up because they feel entitlement to an ex and hope to continue getting their doze of attention, praise and admiration. They may even want to stay friends or come back to the relationship to ensure an ex doesn’t move on and/or to assert their control.

A dismissive avoidant’s problem is being in a relationship. They keep in touch with an ex after a break-up sometimes for selfish reasons but most of the time because they still really like an ex as a person but don’t want to be in a relationship with them or just be in a relationship period. And sometimes they stay friends to keep the door open for getting back together.

As you can see there are overlaps between a dismissive avoidant attachment and narcissism. But hopeful these differences will help you figure out if your ex is narcissist, a dismissive avoidant, just selfish or all the three, and why wanting a narcissists ex back many not be good for you.

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Why Dismissive Avoidants Push You Away (What to Do)

How To Tell If Your Ex Is A Fearful Or Dismissive Avoidant