2. Manipulation Through Change
They will try to change something about you. For example, if you’re wearing a nice dress, they might say it doesn’t look good on you and offer to buy you a new one. However, when you go shopping, they won’t ask for your input. They’ll choose the dress for you and then get rid of your old one right in front of your eyes, leaving you in complete shock. This antisocial behavior is intentional—they want to see how much you can tolerate and how willing you are to change for them. They want people who stay silent, maybe out of respect or obligation. They will close the chapter, never to be opened again, and qualify you as their primary source of supply. This is why you should see it as a red flag when someone tries to change something about you that makes you uncomfortable.
3. Compliments as a Tool for Control
This one might sound counterintuitive—they will compliment you to test how you take compliments. Most of us are humble, downplaying compliments instead of acknowledging them, due to programming that tells us we must be humble and polite. Narcissists want you to say, “Oh, it’s not that good.” They want you to be shy, to see if you will run away from your own qualities. If you do, they know you lack confidence and a strong connection with your authentic self, which can be exploited. They also want to see if they can make you depend on their feedback. If you are deeply affected by their compliments, imagine how devastating their criticism could be. That’s how they maintain control—the more you feel bad and guilty, the easier it becomes for them to have power over you.
6 Major Things Narcissists Do When You Go No Contact
4. Creating Fake Crises
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