Highly intelligent people / genius

[GoodPesto]

After having survived being close to narcissistic people and having recovered insofar that I am able to spot them before getting blindly sucked into their orbit, I have to say that a characteristic of them seems that sometimes they have incredible talents and are being outstanding people in their community not only out of false praise but out of true capacities.
While becoming more and more aware of their traits and the pitfalls around them I have met people with quite obvious narc traits that had in common some undeniably outstanding talents.
Right now I could think of people that are having for example a) an outstanding understanding knowledge of interspecies communication, a) a solution for every and any problem arising in the frame of building and running a big business from scratch or c) been raising the level of any academic discussion they are part of and are invaluable for this reason alone.
How painful it is to be around people with these traits most of us know better than we would have chosen to experience I guess but apart from all the pain caused, is it common to feel that they offer some pretty amazing insights with regard to fascinating or important subjects as well?
Just wondering.

[Rebel13]

I have thought this too, GoodPesto. I just wouldn't want to be in a personal relationship with any of them.

[Call Me Cordelia]

I've noticed some overlap of traits of high intelligence in specific areas, low EQ generally, lack of emotional regulation, and other Asperger's type traits like not making eye contact. They also tend to have one-sided conversations with me, not showing much interest in what I have to share.

I can think of at least three people I've known who would fit this description. I wouldn't go so far as to say they have a PD, but I've had to set boundaries in the relationships because it is exhausting to spend much time with them! Attempting to directly address things led to a, "Does not compute," sort of response.

[SeaBreeze]

Both uNPDh ex-H's are very intelligent and talented in certain subjects, with 2nd ex building a very lucrative career on his skills. Both men's intelligence was one of the traits that initially attracted me to them. Unfortunately both of them tend to lord their knowledge over others. Although over time I came to learn that first ex fakes certain knowledge. And I've been told by others in the know that while 2nd ex is indeed skilled, he makes up stuff around people who don't know better.

[Prototypian]

My uOCPDw is very intelligent.   Summa cum laude with triple major in college and law degree.   So incredibly smart and overqualified for anything she does. 

[Blueberry Pancakes]

I have also noticed this. I see it with some people at work. I see it with one person I know personally. 
     
To be honest, it sort of grates me to acknowledge they possess any skill at all. I wonder sometimes if it is their ability to narrowly focus on their "skill area", while other areas lack? Perhaps some people possess broader range or breadth and have more balance. I also wonder if at times they are simply good at showmanship but just do not look behind the curtain.

 

 

[Abigail.2025]

People with personality disorders, especially those with higher intelligence, do not stumble into influence. They cultivate it. Their intelligence becomes an extraction device. Supply is the goal. Power, attention, and admiration are the fuel.

How do they secure it?

They study what works.

In my mother-in-law's case, she came to America young, uneducated, foreign, female, and underestimated. She worked relentlessly and learned everything she could about money. Not just how to earn it, but how to wield it.

Because money meant leverage.

Leverage over her husband.
Leverage over her children.
Leverage over anyone who needed something.

Now she is eighty. The hustle has shifted, but the strategy remains. The wealth was never about building a good life for her kids. It is about preventing abandonment. The message is unspoken but clear: stay close, or lose access.

Money became her language of control.

[Prototypian]

I've found a lot of the "Asperger" type people with incredibly high intellect, low social skills but I haven't specifically found them to have PD traits.  Although the opposite correlation seems to be true, PD traits seem to come from very intelligent individuals.