What Narcissists Do When They Think You're Too Tough to Control, Manipulate, and Dominate

When the narcissist realizes their manipulation and control tactics won’t work, your strength becomes a problem. It frustrates and infuriates them, and in their mind, justifies any retaliatory or destructive behavior.

Narcissists thrive on dominance and maintaining a false perception of superiority. When their usual tactics fail, they often:

Intensify Manipulation: They may resort to anger, guilt trips, or increased demands to assert control.
Smear Campaigns: Unable to manipulate you, they may try to control how others see you by spreading lies or distorting the truth to damage your reputation.
Criticism and Belittlement: They’ll jump at any chance to undermine your self-esteem by pointing out flaws, past mistakes, or vulnerabilities.

The Impact of Their Behavior

Their actions stem from their deeply buried insecurities, not your worth. If they can’t gaslight you into submission or win you over with charm, they’ll escalate their efforts to manipulate others’ perceptions of you. Narcissists are adept at deceit, pretending everything is fine while smearing you behind your back.