Of course, there are varying degrees of severity, with some able to change, but some never changing and ending up alone when everyone's had enough of them.
And it also might just be that some of them aren't actually narcissists or sociopaths. Or don't poses any other personality disorder. Some people just take longer to grow up and in some situations, because people react differently to things, they may act shitty because of stress, sleep deprivation, alcoholism or depression. But in some cases, those people just are incredibly selfish assholes.
My guess is that those people who I've encountered in my life and who I've thought were assholes, just were that. No growing up in a violent family or mental disorder to blame for their actions. Just brought up to think that the kind of things they do to other people, are totally acceptable.
They could be the kind of people who treat people differently when it comes to being nice because these people who I have in mind aren't total loners. Some even had/have a big bunch of friends around them who might not recognize my description of them at all. Or only mildly agree with me. But what ever their motives are, they act differently with different people. There are those to whom they are always nice because they like them. (personality, looks, wealth) And then there are those who they think are not worth their niceness. (again personality, looks, wealth) Perhaps I just in those cases was that, lower human not worth anything in their eyes. But if their friends think they are cool because they really are to them, it doesn't make them any less assholes if they treat other people like crap because they think they are not good enough for them.
I've never been that good in holding friends who have repeatedly acted like shitheads towards me. And I've never been that good in confronting someone of their actions if it's apparent that they seem to be doing that almost solely to me. I feel like I might be whining about nothing. And I don't want to argue, although if someone picks up a verbal fight with me, I'm really ashamed to say, I can sometimes be really cruel if cornered. But anyway, small things eventually become a big thing if they don't realize to snap out of it and one day I just decide that I will leave them alone and never look back.
Some have never contacted me or asked why they don't hear anything about me anymore, some have called and asked. But as I happen to think that there's nothing I can say or do to make them change their behavior (and I've thought that if I said what was wrong this would be just an argument where the other one would defend themselves and find excuses, not actually listening) I've just said that I've been busy and at that point in my life and bla bla bla. Stupid on my behalf but... I don't know. Is it stupid?
But yeah, there are varying degrees of assholeness.
RE: Is it Self Care or Just Self Centered? Should We be Moving Back to Community Care?