NEGLECTFUL NARCISSISTS

Narcissism is traditionally a very ‘in-your-face’ and grand personality style but the neglectful narcissist takes a different route. Instead of always being out and about the neglectful narcissist is completely detached, so much so that if you try talking to them they might not even glance at you they will completely ignore. In the beginning of the movie we see Elizabeth Halsey giving a goodbye speech in a very polite and graceful manner but that was just acting, during her time as a teacher she didn’t do her job properly she had no interest in getting to know her colleagues and she was only focused on herself and money. She was marrying her husband just because of his wealth. She couldn’t even remember his birthday!

The neglectful narcissist shows their entitlement through neglecting the people around them, like they’re so superior to you that they don’t have to give you their precious time and care. Their lack of empathy also shows through their neglect they don’t feel bad about hurting the people around them by making them feel as though they don’t exist. We see both of these traits in Halsey as she gives no bother to Russells attempts at asking her out and ruthlessly gives Amy a poisonous apple. Neglectful narcissists only pay attention to those who have what they want, so they’ll be very charming and charismatic towards their boss at work (maybe cause they want a raise or promotion) but with their coworkers they’ll be rude, ignorant and maybe even irritable (which is their true side). This change in their persona can make people perceive them as extremely manipulative and as a user. The validation seeking may not be as upfront as it is in the grandiose narcissist but you may see it when they’re with their parents or people superior to them at work.

The ending of the film is a bit unrealistic as narcissists don’t just change their ways. If this movie was real life Elizabeth would just continue gold digging and neglecting. Or if she does go out with Russel he would probably be a victim of Elizabeth. Neglectful narcissists are usually uncaring towards their partner in intimate relationships. Their partner may rather want to be with a grandiose narcissists because they’ve been disregarded for so long that they’ll take anything: rage, validation seeking, joy, anything!

This is a new type of narcissism and there has been some debate on if it is a type of narcissism at all. But its clear that this is a very toxic personality style that can leave a people feeling gaslighted, unwanted etc. Thank you for reading this article, and Thanks to Cameron Diaz who plays the neglectful narcissist brilliantly.