Member-only story
Are Codependents Narcissists in Disguise?
Absolutely not. But, we, codependents, do come from the same can of “soup.”
Codependents come from abusive households. They were raised from a very early age that love was conditional. If you did as you were told, learned to give and do for others, have no boundaries, then you were a good little boy, and that would warrant love. So, we run around do, do, and doing until we are exhausted.
So, fast forward 20+ years. Who are the biggest soul suckers in the universe? That’s right! The Narcissist. This becomes a relationship made for a movie in hell.
Narcissists don’t develop the empathy and compassion that a Codependent does. They were likely raised by a Narcissistic parent or one very controlling parent while the other would spoil the child. So, they learn at a very early age to take, take, take.
And what better person for a Narcissist to abuse? A Codependent! All we want is to be loved, and we will go above and beyond because we crave it. The narcissist found the perfect person!
They can lie, cheat, abuse, and this poor soul stays around for the abuse! And more times than not, the codependent will apologize for having legitimate feelings about how they are treated. Because it doesn’t fit the Narcissistic narrative of “they are all good.” They can’t fathom thinking they are…
