Narcissists Pretend to be Depressed to Manipulate You It is very common for a narcissist to come off as depressed when they are using self-victimization to manipulate their victims into feeling guilty or ashamed. They do this to remain in power and control of the relationship and the narrative.
Fake emotions –characteristically, narcissists are not able to share reciprocal emotions. Therefore, they express emotions that seem appropriate. They may mimic emotions in order to gain leverage in a situation They are actors and as easily as they turn on the charm as they can turn on the tears.
Someone may be experiencing narcissistic depression if, in addition to having depression symptoms, they are hostile towards others (vs. toward themselves), destructive interpersonally, and feel a temporary alleviation of symptoms with increased social contact.
People with narcissistic traits could experience many of the same depressive symptoms as those diagnosed with depression, such as: persistent low mood. emptiness. hopelessness.
People with strong narcissistic tendencies regulate their low, shaky sense of self-esteem by pretending to be superior, and by putting others down. Lying and pretending also has a different purpose: it helps the narcissistic person trick, manipulate, and abuse others.
Narcissists master the art of malingering. Fabricating an affliction or exaggerating a minor illness is used to seek attention, gain sympathy, or simply avoid responsibility (Bratskeir, 2019).
Another tactic a malignant narcissist uses as a response to being held responsible is pretending to be the victim. Here, they pretend to be the one who is wronged.
The false self replaces the narcissist's true self and is intended to shield him from hurt and narcissistic injury by self-imputing omnipotence. The narcissist pretends that his false self is real and demands that others affirm this confabulation, meanwhile keeping his real imperfect true self under wraps.
They sometimes lead to the Serotonin syndrome, which includes agitation and exacerbates the rage attacks typical of a narcissist. SSRIs do lead at times to delirium and a manic phase and even to psychotic microepisodes.
Exhaustion plays a major role in the mini-cycles. His energy depleted, his creativity at its end, his resources stretched to the maximum, the narcissist reposes, "plays dead", withdraws from life. This is the phase of "narcissistic hibernation".
Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others.
For the person on the receiving end, someone experiencing a narcissistic collapse may look out of control, extremely angry, and vindictive. In some cases, it may look like someone withdrawing altogether and giving them the silent treatment.
Your tears also put the spotlight on you, which is unacceptable for a narcissist. Another reason your tears may anger the narcissist is the fact that they may feel controlled by your tears. After all, they often use their own tears to manipulate and control others.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, narcissists lack empathy. They're “unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others.” (APA, 2013) Research shows that they have structural abnormalities in brain regions associated with emotional empathy.
If you are involved with a narcissist, then you are quite used to being lied to. Their constant lies simply come with the territory. To a normal person, it may be very perplexing to be lied to all the time by someone who purports to care for you. Learn about what the narcissist seems to gain from telling lies all time.
Long-term abuse can change a victim's brain, resulting in cognitive decline and memory loss. In turn, the changes in the brain can increase the risk for chronic stress, PTSD, and symptoms of self-sabotage.
They will never be happy for you.
They are unwilling to think about your needs. They lack insight into your emotions. They believe you should feel the same way they feel. “Most narcissists lack the capacity to give significant, authentic love and empathy, and you have no choice but to deal with this reality …
They will often deploy a variety of narcissistic relationship patterns such as manipulation, charismatic, and exploitational tactics in order to ensure that their own needs and wants are met. As a spouse, you may be the subject of their manipulation and abuse, while your partner treats everyone else positively.
The narcissist often engages in self-defeating and self-destructive behaviours.
However, research indicates that unlike Narcissus staring at himself reflecting in the pool, many narcissists actually aren't in love with themselves after all. Quite the opposite, in fact. Much of the time, a narcissist's behaviour isn't driven by self-love – rather, self-hatred.
Narcissists do enjoy looking at themselves in the mirror. They may spend more time grooming themselves to bolster their grandiose self-images. In this way, narcissists may be more prone to self-objectify—and identify with and to base their self-worth on their external appearance, instead of their character.
Narcissists often oscillate from hero to victim mode. As the hero, the narcissist attempts to dominate the situation. Saving the day fuels his or her ego and provides control. As the victim, the narcissist evades accountability by relying on a past hardship to excuse current wrongdoing.
Bottom Line. Narcissists can sometimes be helpful and caring. However, more often than not, they only pretend to have these qualities. Moreover, even when they act giving and helping, they are not motivated by empathy because they severely lack it, and as a result, their help is often not very productive.
The AVERAGE time is about 4 months when you first begin noticing red flags, although some narcissists are obvious from the very beginning and others can cover it up for a couple of years.