Beware the Vampire ...

I am sure you all know someone who is overly narcissistic … but this character trait is fairly harmless in and of itself. That sort of person might be shallow, but they don’t necessarily present a threat. 

Another, more dangerous kind of narcissist though, is the kind that exploits others at every possible opportunity. This kind of predator falls into my ‘vampire’ category.

This is the kind of person who usually only calls when they need something from you. 

The kind of person who over-reacts to any challenge to their honour, integrity, etc.

They often have financial challenges, as they squander their earnings in keeping up appearances.

The narcissistic exploiter will ‘move on’ without a second thought if either, a resource has dried up or they have been ‘found out. 

They are often very, very charming; for them, ‘charm’ is a ‘verb’ rather than an ‘adjective’ - it is a tool they wield with an expert touch.

The narcissistic exploiter is also an expert at convincing others to their point of view.

And when things go badly, they are equally adept at convincing themselves that they are the ‘victim’ and that others are to blame when a relationship unravels. 

A large part of the self-defence concept is to learn to spot threats in the environment. It is ironic, in some sense, that the martial arts landscape, where people go to learn how to defend themselves, is also inhabited by certain types of people who can do us harm.