Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Family Court
At some point in life, everyone is exposed to an individual with a high-conflict personality., Often times, high-conflict individuals exhibit the characteristics associated with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), which includes an excessive need for admiration, a disregard for others' feelings, an inability to handle any criticism, and an elevated sense of entitlement. Regardless of the circumstance, these individuals – who tend to be men – create extreme challenges, particularly when it comes to conflict-fueled situations like divorce. And when children are involved, the problem only intensifies. Even after a divorce is finalized, co-parenting can become a monumental challenge when a high-conflict individual is involved. In family law, attorneys, judges and the courts would benefit from a greater understanding of NPD, an incurable diagnosis that therapy can support but never fully cure. This website’s goal is to increase awareness of this problem and its effects in family court. Our hope is to expose the challenges of working with a high-conflict personality whose desire for control over their own child or children, during and after divorce proceedings, trumps any hope to compromise.