Appearing emotionally attached but lacking empathy: An emotionally needy person can be very selfish because they only cling to others or appear to need them to make themselves feel better. Clinginess is not flattering.
Needy people have a lot of insecurities whether they realize it or not. For example, having little confidence in themselves can lead to feelings of jealousy when their partner is out and about with other people. They have low self-esteem, and as a result, they tend to need excessive reassurance from others.
“Some kinds of narcissists will come across as extremely needy. If there is always a huge problem or drama, everyone has to focus on them—pitying them, running to their rescue, and helping them clean up their messes,” says Ho.
Whereas a needy man will play at being meek and unimportant in order to get approval from others, the narcissist proclaims his own greatness to get approval from others.
What you must understand is that not every narcissistic person is the same. An emotionally needy narcissist is typically selfish, emotionally unintelligent, and manipulative. These individuals have no idea who they are, who they want to be, or who they should be.
While clingy tendencies may have been “ok” in your previous relationship, being overly needy is generally considered a toxic dating habit.
Narcissistic personality disorder involves a pattern of self-centered, arrogant thinking and behavior, a lack of empathy and consideration for other people, and an excessive need for admiration. Others often describe people with NPD as cocky, manipulative, selfish, patronizing, and demanding.
Type As can also be dangerous to narcissists
Although they can be targeted, type A people can also become a narcissist's worst nightmare. One of the most important defenses against dark personalities is having strong boundaries yourself, and type A people are usually aware they have the right to build them.
Feeling clingy or needy for attention can stem from a lack of self-esteem or a fear of rejection. If you've been clingy in the past or felt someone clinging to you, you know how detrimental it can be to a longer-term friendship or relationship.
Minimizing or dismissing someone's needs
"This is where the gaslighter makes the victim's needs feel unimportant," she says. For example, they may say things like, "Why do you keep asking me for things?" or "You are so needy," which are intended to make the other person question and doubt themselves.
No, it is not "needy" to want affection in a relationship. Simply craving affection is different than being needy. When in love with someone or in a close relationship, it can be normal to want some level of affection to be shown, whether that's through cuddling, kissing, holding hands, or making love.
Needy people are a hassle, and worse, they attach themselves to friends in ways that can impede others' functioning or growth. Needy people can be dishonest, putting up false pretenses at first to hide their neediness.
A monumental weakness in the narcissist is the failure to look internally and flesh out what needs to be worked on. Then, of course, the next step is to spend time improving. The narcissist sabotages any possibility of looking deep within.
Although narcissists act superior, entitled and boastful, underneath their larger-than-life facade lies their greatest fear: That they are ordinary. For narcissists, attention is like oxygen. Narcissists believe only special people get attention.
Narcissists can be grandiose when it comes to self-serving, unnecessary spending (i.e., buying a designer watch they can't afford), but skimp on the essentials (i.e., food, health expenses, basic household items).
Seeing an opportunity, narcissists often use their romantic partners to boost their feeling of being respected; they might selectively date high-status, beautiful partners or they might strategically link themselves with partners they know will idealize and flatter them (Campbell, 1999).
Narcissists also deny emotional needs. They won't admit that they're being demanding and needy, because having needs makes them feel dependent and weak. They judge it as needy. Although narcissists don't usually put the needs of others first, some narcissists are actually people-pleasers and can be very generous.
People that exhibit clingy traits are likely to have anxious attachment styles towards their partners. They may constantly worry about being underappreciated or abandoned in their relationships.
penniless. down-and-out. penurious. poverty-stricken. depressed.