“I guess I owe you an apology,” or, “I guess I should say sorry,” are lines that leave you wondering if apologies are like guessing games. This type of apology leads you to believe that the narcissist said they were sorry without actually saying it. It suggests an apology rather than offering a genuine one. You may have accepted this kind of apology from someone you trust but who isn’t particularly communicative in other situations. There might be hints that they are sorry for their actions, but the apology is not sincere; it clearly shows indifference.
Number 6: The White-Washing Apology
This is another form of minimizing a narcissist’s fault. You might view this type of apology as a sort of reconciliation, which is probably the closest thing to a genuine apology. However, it is still far from sincere. It often includes weak admissions, such as, “I probably shouldn’t have done this,” but the consequences of their actions remain unresolved.
Number 7: The Take-Away Apology
You know an apology is not serious when you hear the word “but after an apology. An “I’m sorry” followed by “but” is simply a means for the narcissist to express their true feelings about a problem or to establish a condition for proceeding. This is the most obvious type of apology on the list, and you can see it coming from a mile away. A sincere “I’m sorry” does not require a “but.” This type of apology is worse than no apology at all, because it clearly indicates that the person does not intend to accept responsibility for their actions.
Number 8: The Blanket Apology
Narcissists are deceitful. While they may acknowledge they made a mistake, they often don’t know what they said or did to upset you. To make it seem like they are sincerely sorry, they might say something like, “I’m sorry for all the horrible things I’ve done.” However, there is no genuine desire to make amends and no clear plan for how things will change in the future. All they express is regret, which is just an attempt to take control of the issue while remaining vague.
Number 9: The Conditional Apology
Conditional apologies are tactics used by narcissists to avoid admitting wrongdoing. Instead of owning their actions, they suggest that what they did may have been harmful, but they had no control over it. For example, a typical conditional apology might state, “I’m sorry if something I said offended you.” This illustrates just how deceitful narcissists can be, as they deflect responsibility.
Number 10: The Anger Apology
Continue reading on the next page
Sharing is caring!
Leave a Comment