Understanding God Complex: How to Spot and Survive it in Relationships
Have you ever encountered someone who thinks they’re better than everyone else? Someone who thinks they’re omnipotent, powerful, and deserving of worship?
That’s a God complex, a condition where a person believes they’re above others and have complete control over their surroundings. A person with a God complex is delusional, narcissistic, and fixated on gaining control.
They crave admiration, respect, and an unshakeable belief in their own authority and power. They’re highly confident, arrogant, and self-centered, and they believe they’re infallible.
But how does a God complex differ from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), another personality flaw that stems from a skewed self-image? Let’s take a closer look.
God Complex vs. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
While NPD and God Complex share some characteristics, they’re different in several ways.
Someone with NPD often has a fragile sense of self, and they need validation from others to feel whole. They’re highly aware of their shortcomings and often struggle with shame and embarrassment.
In contrast, someone with a God complex is highly aware of their power and authority. They’re grandiose and lack empathy, often treating others as pawns for their own gain.
They also crave dominance, control, and a sense of superiority that NPD doesn’t necessarily share. God Complex and Its Impact on People’s Lives
An encounter with someone with a God complex can be marked by misfortune.
They’re often charismatic and manipulative, drawing people in with their charm and confidence, only to use those people for their gain. They’re highly skilled at mind games, manipulation, and decision-making that benefits only them, undermining the value of others.
Telltale Signs of a God Complex in Romantic Relationships
In a romantic relationship context, there are five telltale signs of a God complex that you should watch out for.
1. Interrupts While Speaking
When you’re in a conversation with someone with a God complex, they often interrupt you, cutting you off without bothering to listen to what you have to say. They see themselves as the most important person in the room, and your words are just background noise.
2. Seeks Admiration and Perfection
Someone with a God complex has an image of themselves as a perfect being. They want others to see them that way, too.
As such, they seek admiration and perfect love bombing early on in the relationship to feed their image. Ignores Partner’s Feelings and Manipulates
3. Ignores Partner’s Feelings and Manipulates
A person with a God complex sees their romantic partner as a mere extension of themselves.
They ignore their partner’s feelings, priorities, and needs, only focusing on their own ambitions. They play mind games and manipulate their partner’s decisions to benefit themselves, without regard for the investment of time, effort, and resources from their partner.
4. Believes Partner is Unworthy and Unappreciative
A person with a God complex sees their partner as lucky for being with them but still feels unappreciated. Their overconfidence caps the perceived value of their partner, and any perceived threat to their authority is met with hostility.
5. Refuses to Apologize and Plays Victim
Finally, a person with a God complex rarely admits fault or wrong, preferring to place blame on someone or something else. They act like a victim when questioned or challenged, deflecting authority and responsibility.
If you experience any of these signs in your relationship, it could be time to revaluate whether continuing is a healthy choice for you. Whether it’s covert toxic gaslighting or outright controlling behavior, your mental and emotional health deserves attention.
Controlling and Judgmental Behavior: Key Traits of a Person with a God Complex
Someone with a God complex demands control, power, and domination over everything and everyone around them.
They often display highly judgmental behavior that manifests as extreme disapproval of others and everything they do.
1. Disapproves of Everything
When dealing with someone with a God complex, it’s common to experience a steady stream of disapproval and criticism. They’re always judging others, their actions, and their motivations, with no acceptance of differing opinions or lifestyles.
This judgment can be stifling, adding huge amounts of pressure to those who have to deal with it. People may end up walking on eggshells, never daring to question or challenge the person with the God complex due to the fear of disapproval.
2. Power and Domination
In most cases, people with a God complex are highly ambitious, driven, and hungry for success. They see these attributes as symbols of power and control, and they’ll do whatever is necessary to achieve them.
They believe that any perceived weakness or failure undermines their authority, as such, their actions prove otherwise.
3. Lack of Empathy and Mercy
A person with a God complex often shows no sense of consideration or mercy for others. They focus so much on their goals and ambitions that they never stop to think about the human cost of their actions.
They judge others without a second thought and tend not to show empathy or mercy when issuing their verdict.
Dealing with Someone with a God Complex
Dealing with someone with a God complex can be challenging and draining. Here’s how you can protect yourself:
1. Spotting the Signs
Spotting the signs of a person with a God complex is the first step to protecting yourself. Learn to recognize the signs, red flags, and behaviors of a God complex, like grandstanding, lack of empathy, and seeking admiration.
It’s easy to fall in love with someone’s charisma, but it’s critical to be objective and look beyond the facade they present to the world.
2. Staying Away From God Complex
If possible, staying away from someone with a God complex is the best thing you can do for your well-being. The manipulations, domination, and uncontrollable narcissism can be toxic and lead to emotional and psychological trauma, thus it’s important to know when to walk away.
3. Shutting Down a Narcissist
Shutting down a God complex can be tricky, but it’s not impossible. One approach is to call them out on their behaviors, raise your opinion regardless of their opposition, and question their motivations and judgments.
Another option is to speak their language: give them praise, admiration, and attention, then use that as leverage to negotiate changes in their negative patterns of behavior.
4. Warning Against God Complex
It’s essential to be careful when dealing with someone with a God complex. As much as it may hurt to walk away, sometimes, it may be the only option.
Always remember to prioritize your mental and emotional well-being, and don’t hesitate to reach out for professional help if you need it. God complex is often overlooked as a serious personality disorder, but it could do serious damage to your relationships, happiness, and sense of self-worth.
In conclusion, a God complex comes with behavior traits that are not only difficult to handle, but disturbing and harmful. It’s essential to recognize the signs since they could save you from trapping yourself in a dangerous cycle of manipulation and emotional distress.
While its possible to shut down the narcissist and resolve the situation, you must prioritize yourself and your mental wellbeing. Remember, boundaries and distancing yourself are key to maintaining control over the situation.
In conclusion, dealing with someone with a God complex can be a difficult and distressing experience that often leads to emotional and psychological trauma. Recognizing the signs of a God complex will help you identify toxic behavior patterns, set healthy boundaries, and prioritize your mental and emotional well-being.
Always remember that staying away from a person with a God complex might be the best course of action if their behavior is taking a significant toll on you. As you navigate relationships, it is important to take care of yourself and know when to exit if a relationship is not healthy or fulfilling.
Protecting yourself from controlling and judgmental behavior is key to achieving happiness and a fulfilling life.
