How do narcissists treat their exes?

By remaining friends with their exes, narcissists get to keep all of their former partners on a carousel of convenience: they can create a harem of people to use for sex, money, praise, attention or whatever else they desire, at any time.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on psychcentral.com

How a narcissist treats you after a breakup?

At the end of a relationship, narcissists may become combative, passive-aggressive, hostile, and even more controlling. People with NPD often fail to understand other people's needs and values. They are hyper focused on their egos, but do not account for how their actions affect others.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on choosingtherapy.com

How do narcissists act about exes?

Talking trash about ex-partners to gain pity and sympathy is common. Plus, they use cautionary tales about their “horrible” exes to groom new partners. Narcissists will bad-mouth former lovers to illustrate how not to act. This tactic works well on people pleasers and folks with low self-esteem.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on liveboldandbloom.com

Do narcissists get over their exes quickly?

Narcissists get over their exes very quickly. In a survey we conducted among 300 people who experienced narcissistic abuse in a romantic relationship, we discovered that the average amount of time it took for a narcissist to get over their ex was three-and-a-half weeks.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on unfilteredd.net

What do narcs say about their exes?

As a general rule, narcissists will say negative things about their exes when they want to invalidate, devalue, degrade, and minimize them and positive things when they want to use their exes to maintain a positive public persona or manipulate their current partner into feeling jealous, insecure, competitive, etc.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on unfilteredd.net

Narcissists love keeping their exes as backup supplies just in case the new relationship doesnt work

40 related questions found

Do narcissists contact their exes?

But as clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula points out, narcissists often have a habit of staying in contact with their exes in a way that is solely about their own needs. "The central motivator for narcissists is validation," she explains. "And an ex is often a really interesting place to get it...

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on menshealth.com

Do narcissists keep their exes close?

A recent research study conducted byMogilski and Welling (2017) showed that those who had darker personality traits such as narcissism, psychopathy and duplicity tended to stay friends with their exes out of pragmatism, sex and access to resources.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on psychcentral.com

Do narcissists get sad after a breakup?

They experienced higher levels of negative emotions and walked away with particularly negative views of their ex-partner. So if you're ending a relationship with a narcissist, you may find them either especially nonchalant about the breakup or especially upset.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on psychologytoday.com

Do narcissists feel anything after breakup?

How Did Narcissists Feel About the Breakup? Both narcissistic admiration and narcissistic rivalry were related to feeling more anger right after the breakup. This is consistent with the tendency for narcissists to be especially hostile when they're rejected.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on psychologytoday.com

Are breakups hard for narcissists?

Narcissists rarely take breakups well, because breakups often involve some amount of rejection and acknowledgement of personal failure—two things a narcissist can't handle. They may lash out and try to blame you for everything that went wrong, or they may make extreme promises to change and beg for you to stay.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on mindbodygreen.com

Do narcissists regret losing you?

Unless they have had a lot of successful psychotherapy for their NPD, they do not feel guilt, shame, or self-doubt so long as their narcissistic defenses hold. This means that they do not think there is anything for them to regret, no matter how hurt you feel.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on psychologytoday.com

What annoys a narcissist ex?

Narcissists love attention, validation, and power. So what drives a narcissist crazy? Simply put, anything that jeopardizes their basic needs for superiority can quickly irritate them. If you want to know how to infuriate a narcissist, you can look no further than giving them nothing.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on thenarcissisticlife.com

Do narcissists ever miss you?

They can have deep regret for failed relationships and they may feel loss very deeply. But they feel that regret and loss only insofar as they relate to their own agenda and feelings. Their remorse points inward. They may feel very sad that they lost someone and they may genuinely miss that person.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on medium.com

Do narcissists care if you move on?

Narcissists can't take rejection and they see it as a personal attraction to their character. Even after long periods of the breakup, they can't accept the fact that you're moving on. Now that you're seeing someone else, your narcissistic ex would act like a predator.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on hackspirit.com

Does my narcissistic ex think about me?

It's true: Your narcissistic ex will remember you but not — never — in the way you hope they will, as the “great love of their life”. Most of the time they won't even think about you and you know why: They're too busy spinning their web to snare the next unsuspecting spider.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on medium.com

Do narcissists seek revenge after breakup?

Revenge. This is another narcissistic break-up game. Narcissists will try to take revenge on their partners by hurting them in some way after a breakup, even if it's just emotional pain they're causing or making you feel guilty for leaving them.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on mantracare.org

Do narcissists move on quickly after a breakup?

They WILL move on quickly because narcissists tend to view other people (including their partners) as conveniences — and once you are no longer useful, they will move on.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on psychologytoday.com

Do narcissists move on quickly?

The cerebral cortex has also been found to be less developed in narcissists and this area is responsible for memory, emotions and behaviour. Therefore the narcissist seems to move on so fast because their emotions are not as deep as ours but also, they don't form memories in the same way the rest of us do.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on linkedin.com

Do narcissists ever go back to their ex?

Do Narcissists Come Back to Relationships? Yes, they often do come back to relationships. A narcissist will repeat their cycle of abuse as long as they need you as a supply. Even their distressing discard performance will leave you in a firm belief they're done with you; a narcissist will come back.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on kaminiwood.com

What narcissists say during a breakup?

They may say "you'll be lost without me," or "you'll never find someone like me." Don't listen, Orloff advises. It's just a trick to get you to come back to them out of fear.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on businessinsider.com

Can a narcissist feel heartbroken?

While people with narcissism aren't devoid of emotions, their motivations may be self-focused. They can know they're hurting your feelings, but as long as it elevates their status, they may not care. Someone living with narcissism does cry. They can feel regret, remorse, and sadness.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on psychcentral.com

What are the stages of a narcissistic breakup?

The relationship cycle typical of extreme narcissistic abuse generally follows a pattern. Individuals in emotionally abusive relationships experience a dizzying whirlwind that includes three stages: idealization, devaluing, and discarding.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on goodtherapy.org

Do narcissists keep photos of exes?

Or if you are yelling at a photo of your ex because you are still not ready to let go of the anger or the hurt you felt at the break-up, that photo is serving as a stand-in for your ex. Some narcissists might actually hold onto keepsakes for this reason.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on psychologytoday.com

What is a trauma bond with a narcissist ex?

Trauma bonding occurs when a narcissist repeats a cycle of abuse with another person which fuels a need for validation and love from the person being abused. Trauma bonding often happens in romantic relationships, however, it can also occur between colleagues, non-romantic family members, and friends.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on amfmtreatment.com

Is the narcissist happy in his new relationship?

Narcissists can never really love anyone.

That's why it's important to remember that no matter how happy and loved-up they look with their new partner, it's only a matter of time before they start being belittled and insulted too. Narcissists can never really love anyone.

Takedown request   |   View complete answer on businessinsider.com