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I was raised by a mother w/Borderline Personality Disorder/Narcissism. These folks are excellent in sales positions. They can take on the persona of whomever they are with, like a chameleon, and will repeat the beliefs of others as though they are their own. The NLP is like a mirror. They can make some people believe that they are agreeing with them or that they have high admiration for them and they can use this to influence the behavior of others. However, they have nothing but contempt for everyone else, with the possible exception of those who believe them so strongly that they can mistake it for love.

They also have an off/on switch. They can turn the charisma on and off in an instant, and when it is off, they display a very flat affect. Tears, anger and other emotional displays are usually reactions to failing to sway someone. When they cannot succeed in influencing someone, they will descend to condescension, ridicule and mockery and then become simply withdrawn behind a brick wall of non-response. They do this as a punishment toward those who do not share their inflated self-regard.

While I can be initially hypnotized, it doesn't hold for very long. In the presence of manipulators, I get all the symptoms of cognitive dissonance, including a weird sort of ringing in my ears and extreme discomfort. If it continues for very long, I become physically nauseated and will have to vomit. However, it doesn't effect me across a TV screen, only in person.I am unaffected by zerO, except that he literally elicits my disgust, has from the first viewing and I do not get any sense of attractiveness from him. I accept that others do, obviously, since it is unavoidable.

I can tell you that there is one thing these people cannot handle well and that is being openly laughed at. They can carry a grudge for literally a lifetime and never forget anyone who tells them anything that goes against their self-image. They are dependent on each *sale*. It is like a fix for an addict. They lie to themselves and believe the lies to the point where they will refuse to accept any other opinion of their performance.

Here's a clue about zerO: there have been no real friends that he has kept throughout his life who have come forward to tell us about his human side. There are mentors, fixers, political connections, sycophants and those along for the ride, but not the close buddy who is the next thing to a sibling because they never let their guard down and they will not let anyone get too close for too long.They are only generous to those they feel are their inferiors and it is more patronizing than generosity. They also have no real private hobbies or passions distinct from their goal of making everyone realize their greatness. They may, however, have some self-destructive obsession or addiction, like gambling or sex addiction or compulsive shopping.They can be foolhardy risk-takers.

I feel very sorry for his daughters. They may well internalize his behavior and spend their lives being attracted to other narcissists and assorted manipulators or become such, themselves. It is untreatable, incurable and a lasts in lifetime. They also have very long life spans.