If you have a relationship with
a selfish person, practicing healthy communication and setting boundaries can help you protect your own well-being.
Do you have a selfish person in your life? People who
exhibit selfishness tend to have a pattern of acting in their own self-interests with no regard for who they may hurt along the way.
It can be exhausting and painful to have a relationship with a selfish
person who doesn’t seem to care about you or your needs.
Many different factors may lead people to
behave in selfish ways. If you’re impacted by someone’s selfish behavior, there are certain ways you can approach the relationship to protect yourself.
What is a selfish person?
Selfishness can be defined as the trait that leads people to frequently act in their own interests without any regard for how their actions could impact others.
In the American Psychological Association (APA) dictionary, the definition of “selfishness” is listed as: the tendency to act excessively or solely in a manner that benefits oneself, even if others are disadvantaged.
Some signs of a selfish person include:
having no regard for how their behavior impacts others
consistently acting in their own self-interests instead of meeting
the needs of others
having no empathy for the suffering of other people
showing no remorse when they’ve hurt other people
using manipulation tactics to get what they want
always asking for favors but never repaying them
being unkind, or their kindness comes with a price
using others to get what they want
not giving back to others
feeling entitled to always getting what they want, even if it means
that others will be pushed down
Self-centered vs. selfish
Self-centeredness is similar to selfishness, but the two concepts might differ slightly in important ways.
People who are selfish often knowingly behave in ways that hurt other people so that they, themselves, can benefit.
Self-centered people are overly focused on themselves; the Mirriam-Webster dictionary defines “self-centered” as preoccupied with oneself
and one’s affairs.
Someone who is self-centered could be too absorbed in thoughts about themselves to even give a second thought to how their behaviors impact others. But self-centered people could be able to feel more
remorse when they realize that they’ve hurt someone else.
Both selfish and self-centered people can be difficult to deal with for those around them.
If you have a selfish person in your life, you might feel overwhelmed or frustrated about not knowing how to communicate with them. It could feel like no matter what you say or do, this person
continues to hurt you (either intentionally or unintentionally) to act in their own interests.
Print 