Gathering information about the victim – staring (commonly known as the “sociopathic stare”) and asking lots of questions (the answers will later be used against you to manipulate and control you)- Playing on the victim’s fears and insecurities (again they will uncover your fears by studying you and asking pertinent questions)
- Provocation – narcissists are professional button pushers
- Divide and Conquer – telling untruths to turn others against each other so they don’t team up to protect themselves against the abuse. This allows them greater control over others.
- Projection – the narcissist projects the characteristics they dislike in themsleves (but are in denial about) onto their victim
- Triangulation – making the victim jealous of another so that the victim works hard to gain the narcissist’s approval
- Confusion – to distract from what the narcissist is really trying to do. Confusion also ensures that the attention is on the narcissist and this provides them with narcissistic supply
- Emotional Dysregulation
- Gaslighting
These will all be discussed in greater detail in future posts. Feel free to add any examples that you have come across in the comments below.
2 thoughts on “Tricks of the Narcissistic Trade”