Thanks for sharing. I've got both empath and narcissist traits, maybe it's at different times depending on how I'm feeling about the world. It's hard work. But I'm not diagnosed. My psychotherapist doesn't want to label me. I find myself surrounded by bipolars, depressives, manics and sometimes narcissists/psychopaths. My father's side is all pretty psycho, violent alcoholics. My mother's side is co-dependent enablers who were in a cult type religious thing called the exclusive brethren. They're all out now though thankfully, but they've been set up to be perfect narc prey.

It's great that you understand it all so well. I'm just starting to learn. I also am successful. In large part it was the pressure applied to me by my father, achievement was love as far as I knew. I don't know if I'll ever be capable of a healthy adult intimate relationship, I'm at the point where I'm no longer sad about it, and am almost embracing it. I worry that will push me towards exactly what my father wanted, being just like him.