You might be familiar with the story of Narcissus, a man so obsessed with his own reflection that he commits suicide because he can never truly have the object of his affection. Well, you’re boyfriend probably won’t take it that far. But he could be so deeply in love with himself that there’s no room for you. If you’re dating an egomaniac you’ll run into a lot of red flags.
What is an egomaniac?
An ego can be a good thing, but in a relationship, not so much. If you have a self-obsessed boyfriend (SOB) he probably has a preoccupation with power, prestige and vanity. He won’t appreciate other people to the point that the relationship can turn sour pretty quickly. Above all, an egomaniac is defensive, competitive, needs acceptance from everyone they meet and must always showcase their brilliance, to the point of annoying everyone around to tears.
Signs you’re dating a Egomaniac
- He’s really, really, really good looking. And all too aware of it.
- He can’t take a joke, even if it’s innocent flirty teasing.
- His profile picture is a selfie.
- He thinks his penis is the best thing ever.
- He lets you know when a girl is checking him out. Even worse, he thinks girls are checking him out when they obviously aren’t even looking.
- Most of what he says starts with, “I.”
- He cuts you off in the middle of sentences, proving that he wasn’t even listening. But it is hard for him to focus on anything not directly about him.
- He inflates the importance of his job to try and sound more impressive.
- He won’t apologize for anything. Well, he does but in that backwards “I’m sorry you’re upset” kind of way.
- You constantly hear, “Did she say something about me? What does she think about me?”
- He talks through haircut decisions extensively and verbally makes a point of what pants he likes to wear with what shoes.
- He steals other people’s parking spots because he thinks he deserves it.
- He brags about money, even though you know he doesn’t have that much.
- He twists around every single argument so that you feel like it’s your fault.
- When he knows he did something wrong, he still tries to make you feel sorry for him.
- He treats your appearance by how it reflects on him.
- He’s constantly competing with your ex-boyfriends.
- He talks loudly on his cellphone in public.
- He gets friends to change their plans so that he can be included. Or he has to be the one making the plans just in case people want to do something he doesn’t.
- Lets face it—he’s kind of a dick.
How to deal with him
Firstly, check your own ego at the door. Since you can’t win an argument with an SOB, you shouldn’t try to start one. An egomaniac always has to be right, even if it means arguing against what they believe in. This could be a good test to find out how big your own ego is. Can you let things go?
Be assertive. An egomaniac will try to bully you into doing everything he wants. He’ll worm in on all your plans and become the centre of attention. If you find you have an easily swayed personality, especially in a relationship, take some time alone to figure out what you really want instead of always agreeing with him.
Lastly, have fun. Chances are this relationship won’t be a “forever” one. And pushing a self-obsessed boyfriend’s buttons can create some hilarious situations. Go for it; convince him his cologne makes him smell like carrots. Don’t be overly mean; just try to show him life doesn't have to be so serious.
