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Narcissists Rule: Narcissist in Positions of Authority

Uploaded 4/14/2011, approx. 3 minute read

My name is Sam Vaknin, I am the author of Malignant Self-Love, Narcissism Revisited.

I am the author of Malignant Self-Love and I am the author of Malignant Self-Love and I am the author of Malignant Self-Love and I am the author of Malignant Self-Love and I am the author of Malignant Self-Love and I am the author of Malignant Self-Love and I am the author of Malignant Self-Love as well as a or even paranoid fears which lead to obsessive compulsive behaviors and so on.

So to secure their continued collaboration in the procurement of his much-needed supply, the narcissist might resort to emotional extortion, straight blackmail, abuse or misuse of his authority over them.

The temptation to do so is universal.

No doctor is immune to the charms of certain female patients, nor are university professors asexual.

What prevents them from immorally, cynically, callously and consistently abusing their position are ethical imperatives embedded in them through the process of socialization, through the faculty of empathy.

They learn the difference between right and wrong, and having internalized this difference they choose right when they face a moral dilemma.

They empathize with other human beings, putting themselves in their shoes, and they refrain from doing unto others what they do not wish to be done to them.

This is the normal way of the world.

But at these two crucial points, the narcissist differs from other humans.

The narcissist's socialization process, usually the product of problematic early relationships with primary objects such as parents, caregivers or role models, the socialization process is often perturbed and results in social dysfunction.

Narcissists are incapable of empathizing.

Humans are there only to supply them with narcissistic supply.

Those unfortunate people who do not comply with this overriding dictum must be made to alter their ways, and if even this fails, the narcissist loses interest in them altogether and they are classified as stupid subhuman animals, service providers, function, symbols and worse.

Hence the abrupt shifts from overvaluation, idealization of people, to devaluation while bearing the gifts of narcissistic supply, the other is idealized by the narcissist.

Narcissist shifts however to the opposite point, devaluation, contempt, disdain, when narcissistic supply dries up or when he estimates that it is about to.

Then after a phase of devaluation, he discards, becomes indifferent and apathetic.

As far as the narcissist is concerned, there is no moral dimension to abusing others, even if they are only pragmatic dimensions.

Narcissists ask themselves, will I be punished for abusing, exploiting others?

If punishment is not forthcoming, the narcissist feels free to do as he wishes.

In this sense, the vast majority of narcissists have psychopathic, antisocial traits.

Narcissist is atavistically responsive to fear and lacks any in-depth understanding of what it is to be a human being.

Trapped in his pathology, the narcissist resembles an alien on drugs, a junkie of narcissistic supply, devoid of the kind of language which renders human emotions intelligible.

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The Signs of the Narcissist

Narcissists are difficult to spot, but there are subtle signs that can be picked up on, such as entitlement markers, idealization and devaluation, and a lack of empathy. Narcissists are often perceived as anti-social and are unable to secure the sympathy of others. They are also prone to projecting a false self and using primitive defense mechanisms such as splitting, projection, projective identification, and intellectualization.


Narcissist Grooms Sources of Narcissistic Supply: Exploits Tragedy, Crisis, and Misfortune

Narcissists are callous and ruthless enough to exploit the tragedy of others. They are obsessed with the maintenance of their delicate inner balance through the ever-increasing consumption of narcissistic supply. The narcissist regards and treats his sources of narcissistic supply as full-fledged human beings, but only as long as they can provide him with what he needs. The narcissist always evaluates the victims of tragedies to see if they can become sources of supply or can be used as props in the theater of his life.


Self-destruction as Narcissistic Supply: Narcissist's Self-denial and Self-defeat

Narcissists frustrate others to satisfy their masochistic tendencies and sadistic urges. By withholding love, sex, and intimacy, they torment those around them while obstructing their own gratification. Self-denial, self-destruction, and self-defeat buttress the narcissist's sense of superiority and uniqueness, as they prove to themselves that they are the strongest and can overcome powerful desires and emotions. These behaviors and choices engender narcissistic supply, as they demonstrate the narcissist's independence from society, nature, and even themselves.


Narcissist Has No Friends

Narcissists treat their friends like Watson and Hastings, who are obsequious and unthreatening, and provide them with an adulating gallery. Narcissists cannot empathize or love, and therefore have no real friends. They are interested in securing narcissistic supply from narcissistic supply sources. The narcissist overvalues people when they are judged to be potential sources of supply, and devalues them when no longer able to supply him, ultimately leading to the alienation and distancing of people.


Can Narcissist Truly Love?

Narcissists are incapable of genuine love, viewing others primarily as sources of narcissistic supply, which is essentially attention. They perceive their loved ones as objects or extensions of themselves, reacting with rage to any signs of independence or autonomy. There are two types of narcissists: one seeks stability and control, while the other craves chaos and drama, but both reduce their loved ones to mere props in their lives. Ultimately, the narcissist's so-called love is rooted in fear and self-interest, leading to a cycle of idealization and devaluation of those around them.


Remain Friends with the Narcissist?

Narcissists are only friendly when they need something from you, such as narcissistic supply, help, support, votes, money, or sex. They also become friendly when they feel threatened and want to smother the threat with pleasantries. Narcissists are also over-friendly when they have just been infused with an overdose of narcissistic supply. Some people prefer to live with narcissists because they have been conditioned to treat narcissistic abuse as background noise and are compensated for the abuse by the thrills provided by living with a narcissist. However, inverted narcissists are typically unhappy and in need of help, which suggests that they are victims who experience the Stockholm Syndrome.


Narcissist Never Sorry

Narcissists may occasionally feel bad and experience depressive episodes, but they have a diminished capacity for empathy and rarely feel genuine remorse for their actions. They often project their own insecurities onto others, viewing themselves as victims rather than acknowledging the pain they cause. While they may experience fleeting moments of regret when faced with significant crises, this is typically short-lived, as they quickly revert to their grandiose self-image and resume their predatory behavior. Ultimately, narcissists prioritize their own needs and desires, objectifying those around them without true reflection on their impact.


Sadistic Narcissist

Narcissists exhibit sadistic behavior primarily to assert their superiority and maintain a sense of omnipotence, often inflicting pain on those who frustrate their expectations of admiration and obedience. Their sadism is characterized by a lack of empathy and a penchant for psychological manipulation, using tactics that undermine their victims' self-confidence and stability. Unlike classical sadists, who derive pleasure from the act of infliction itself, narcissists seek validation and narcissistic supply through their abusive actions. Ultimately, while their sadistic tendencies can cause significant harm, narcissists often abandon their victims before irreversible damage occurs, allowing for potential recovery.


Taker, User Narcissist Feels Loved, Vindicated

Narcissists and psychopaths are fundamentally exploitative, viewing others solely as sources of supply, power, or validation, rather than as individuals with their own needs and emotions. Their upbringing often involves being raised by similarly exploitative figures, leading them to internalize a transactional view of relationships where giving is minimal and conditional. They perceive taking as a form of love, believing that possession and control equate to being loved, which fuels their sense of entitlement and justifies their aggressive responses when others refuse to comply. Ultimately, both narcissists and psychopaths dehumanize those around them, using and discarding people once they have extracted all they can, with the narcissist occasionally offering a façade of giving to maintain the illusion of connection.


How Narcissist Dupes, Lures YOU Into Shared Fantasy

Narcissists and psychopaths create the illusion of being human through a combination of mimicry, emotional simulation, and manipulation of social perceptions. They exploit common cognitive biases, such as the Pollyanna defense, which leads people to assume others are generally good and truthful, and malignant optimism, where individuals believe they can "save" or change these individuals despite clear signs of their harmful nature. The lack of genuine emotional depth in narcissists and psychopaths allows them to imitate emotions and behaviors convincingly, often leading to a sense of discomfort known as the uncanny valley effect, where their near-human appearance triggers unease. Ultimately, these individuals operate as sophisticated social predators, using their skills to deceive and exploit others while lacking true empathy or emotional connection.

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