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Relationship Partner with BPD (Straight and LGBT+) => Romantic Relationship | Bettering a Relationship or Reversing a Breakup => Topic started by: Zinnia21 on August 28, 2017, 08:52:04 AM



Title: Is your pwBPD exaggerated about their abilities / achievements?
Post by: Zinnia21 on August 28, 2017, 08:52:04 AM
Ok, so there's this one trait which I wonder if anyone struggles with... ? And I think it scares me a little, only because it reminds me of some of his past delusional thinking, but perhaps I'm getting carried away here... .!

Basically, does anyone have a pwBPD who exaggerates their achievements? I know anyone can exaggerate things to sound more successful, but he does it in a way which is quite odd.
Like, He claims to have been a fashion designer within the fashion industry because he once did a bit of sewing and screen printing.
He claims to have been a business coach because he once gave a few friends an opinion he thought was helpful. Or he says there's been times where he's psychically known where missing people are, really out there stuff sometimes which just wasn't true.
There's many many more examples.
Or he will tell me about some people he met at a party who were amazed by him and the way he was. Or he will say that he's ahead of his time and constantly thinks of ideas before everyone else. And much much more.

It's quite a constant thing. And sometimes I'll witness him even confusing people at a party with his round about conversation, and he will mention that they couldn't understand him because he is kind of advanced or complex in his thinking. He has even likened himself to the thinking patterns of Einstein!

I struggle more and more with this, now I know him and I know the gap between his real life and his fiction. He seems to secretly think he's a bit magicallly special compared to everyone else, and at any opportunity he will recount an exaggerated talent or achievement or a favour he did for so and so... etc... And he talks to me about it and wants me to agree.

How does one embrace this trait? Is it even a BPD thing? Can anyone relate?
If I contest his stories, he would certainly get upset. And think that I don't believe in him. I do, but would love to see him make use of his actual real talents. But the idea of study to reach those goals seems to turn his blood cold!

Anyway, just wondered if anyone can relate or has advice?



Title: Re: Is your pwBPD exaggerated about their abilities / achievements?
Post by: Zinnia21 on August 28, 2017, 09:09:27 AM
I might add that this behaviour is nothing compared with his past dysregulating and discarding, so I shouldn't complain.
 Maybe it bothers me as it can sometimes feel like the tip of the iceberg of his deeper delusions. It's like a constant reminder that he sees things differently.


Title: Re: Is your pwBPD exaggerated about their abilities / achievements?
Post by: Tattered Heart on August 28, 2017, 09:33:25 AM
This isn't something I"ve heard of much with BPD. It sounds like delusions of grandeur that is often associated with narcissism. They tend to align themselves with people who are important in order to feel important. Then again BPD has a lot of dissociative and misperception type behavior that could lead him to believe things were more than what they really were


Title: Re: Is your pwBPD exaggerated about their abilities / achievements?
Post by: Zinnia21 on August 28, 2017, 07:07:03 PM
Thank you tattered heart. It is confusing as he has all the main borderline traits, but also a bit of narcissism (not the manipulative scary type though).

But he also has the thing you mentioned where he has misperceptions of people and events. Maybe that's more what it is. Or a combination of both.

Maybe it also comes from wanting to feel better about himself than he does, like overcompensating...

Either way, the grandeur gets worse when he's feeling 'better', in his good phases.


Title: Re: Is your pwBPD exaggerated about their abilities / achievements?
Post by: hope2727 on August 28, 2017, 07:38:05 PM
Mine did and still does this. He does exhibit narcissistic traits too. So it is more in line with NPD than BPD. However the two disorders often have overlapping traits.