It really is a shame. Shame.

In the narcissist, shame is so intolerable that the means have been developed not to experience it at all.

What psychologists call, "bypassed" shame looks like shamelessness or the absence of a conscience, hiding behind a protective barrier of denial, coldness, blame, or rage.

Since there are no healthy internal mechanisms available to process this painful feeling, the shame is directed outward, away from the self. It can never be their fault.

The need to avoid shame at all costs create a continuing dilemma for the narcissist, as life has a way of regularly doling out humbling experiences that cannot be taken in stride.

There's always someone brighter, better, more beautiful, more everything.

The fact that no one is perfect is of little comfort to a narcissist because they see themselves as the exception to this natural law.

Their challenge is to stay pumped up inside in order to hold harsh realities at bay.