Narcissistic mirroring is a mirroring behavior that narcissists use consciously to manipulate others. It is a calculated and intentional act of mimicking another person's body language, gestures, and speech patterns so as to make them empathize and feel connected to the narcissist.
They feel the same way. It's uncanny how a mirroring narcissist can share ALL the same beliefs, values, and interests as you. It gives validation and strengthens a connection that will eventually be used against you.
Narcissists just don't have a healthy relationship to themselves to provide them with grounding and stability. They rely on feedback from the environment for their self-image. So the reflection tells them that they exist and helps define them. Without it, they don't know who they are.
Related. For others, mirroring is a manipulative tactic for achieving selfish, devious or damaging purposes. People with Machiavellian traits may use it to improve their social status or align others with their purposes.
“If the other person's mirroring isn't leading you to a comfort zone, but instead leading you somewhere you don't want to be, that's a red flag. They're making you feel like you need to like them, instead of like you want to,” she continues.
The narcissist stares to gain dominance over you. The stare is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and make you feel as if you are in danger or doing something wrong. The narcissist never wants you to feel comfortable in your life because it will make you much harder to control and manipulate.
Narcissists are always looking at the external, and they will want to see in your eyes that you adore them and accept them as being the incredible person they have projected. Perhaps most importantly, they are seeking validation.
You may only catch a fleeting glimpse of a narcissist's predatory stare, but you'll never forget how uncomfortable it makes you. Somehow, the eyes of a narcissist go completely cold and blank, with none of the warmth or intimacy you usually get from prolonged eye contact.
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.
Examples of Mirroring. Posture - When having a conversation, you may find you're mimicking the other person's movements and posture. For example, if they cross their legs, you do too. Tone of voice - If the person we're interacting with is talking in a slow, calm manner, we tend to adopt that tone as well.
A person with narcissistic personality or narcissistic traits frequently uses manipulation tactics to influence and control others. Common examples of this include gaslighting, triangulation, love bombing, and many others.
Needs constant praise and admiration
Narcissists need constant food for their ego, so they surround themselves with people who are willing to cater to their obsessive craving for affirmation. These relationships are very one-sided. It's all about what the admirer can do for the narcissist, never the other way around.
Suffering from depression, PTSD, or substance abuse disorder can mimic NPD. One has to consider all symptoms and possibilities before assigning an explanation or excuse for someone's behavior.
The first one, who is outgoing and charming, is considered a grandiose narcissist. The second person, who is insecure but entitled, is a vulnerable narcissist.
Narcissists tend to display exaggerated body language and facial expressions. The 1990 study on conversational narcissism also found that narcissists tend to be overly dramatic in their hand gestures and facial expressions. They may also speak in a loud tone of voice.
People can identify narcissists just from looking at their faces, psychologists have discovered. In fact, the eyebrows alone can reveal narcissistic traits in people, research reveals. Grandiose narcissists have thicker and denser eyebrows and people automatically pick up on this cue.
They found that eyebrow thickness and density were significant when it came to judging the student's narcissistic tendencies. After eyebrows were then swapped onto different faces, it showed that people were rated as seeming more narcissistic when they were shown with non-narcissists' eyebrows.
Narcissists are more likely to wear expensive, flashy clothing, have an organized, neat appearance requiring a lot of preparation, and (in females) wear makeup and show cleavage.
According to research, people with narcissistic personality disorder have reduced gray matter volume in areas of the brain related to empathy and increased activity on baseline images in brain regions associated with self-directed and self-absorbed thinking.
The best way to tell if a narcissist is mirroring you is by paying attention to their reactions when they see themselves in the mirror. If they react negatively or avoid looking at themselves in the mirror altogether then they are probably not interested in mirroring you.
Mirroring is an insidious form of manipulation used by narcissists, abusers, and dividers alike.
Mirroring is the behavior in which one person subconsciously imitates the gesture, speech pattern, or attitude of another. Mirroring often occurs in social situations, particularly in the company of close friends or family, often going unnoticed by both parties.