Vocabulary Study

He stood in front of me apologetically, talking about his tumultuous marriage with a seemingly introspective expression on his face. He told me he finally figured out the problem, and I was anxious to hear what foolishness he came up with. We have had these presentations before. I'd like to call them conversations, but they rarely are two-sided. Mostly, I'm just listening and trying to get an intelligent word in edgewise. "I am a narcissist," he declared. It was as if he believed his problem was solved. Of course, now there was a label and an excuse, and a new word in his vocabulary. The only one who thinks labeling himself a narcissist is an excuse for his behavior, is a narcissist.