MomSkoop
Dealing with narcissistic people can drain your energy and harm your mental health. These individuals often use manipulation, control, and emotional games to get what they want while making you feel small.
Recognizing these toxic behaviors is the first step toward protecting yourself and building healthier relationships.
1. Bullying
Some people use their voice, size, or presence to make you feel scared or pressured. Raised voices, threatening gestures, or standing too close are all ways they try to control your actions.
Micromanaging every move you make or rushing you constantly shows they don’t respect your ability to think for yourself. Real leaders guide without intimidation.
When someone makes you feel physically or emotionally unsafe just to get their way, that’s a major red flag. You deserve to feel calm and respected in every conversation. Nobody has the right to scare you into submission.
2. Lying to Your Face
Ever been promised something that never happened? Narcissists make commitments they have no intention of keeping just to keep you hooked.
Gaslighting is when they twist facts so much that you start doubting your own memory or sanity. They rewrite history to make themselves look good and you look confused or crazy.
These self-serving stories are designed to manipulate your emotions and keep you off balance. Truth matters in healthy relationships. If someone constantly lies or distorts reality, they’re showing you exactly who they are—believe them and protect yourself.
3. Diminishing Your Values
Your kindness, honesty, and empathy are strengths, not weaknesses. But narcissists see these qualities as tools they can exploit or mock.
They might laugh at your compassion or call you naive for caring about others. Worse, they pressure you to compromise your morals for their benefit, making you feel guilty for having standards.
Betraying your own principles to please someone else never ends well. It leaves you feeling empty and ashamed. Surround yourself with people who celebrate your values, not tear them down. Your integrity is worth protecting, no matter what anyone says.
4. Attacking Your Character
Name-calling and insults are never okay, even during disagreements. When someone attacks who you are as a person instead of addressing the issue, they’re trying to break you down.
Narcissists often accuse you of the very traits they possess—this is called projection. If they’re dishonest, they’ll call you a liar. If they’re selfish, they’ll say you only think of yourself.
Smearing your reputation to others is another tactic to isolate and control you. Healthy people discuss problems respectfully. They don’t destroy your character to win an argument or make themselves feel superior.
5. Trying to Con You
Charm can be a weapon when it’s used to manipulate. Narcissists are experts at turning on the sweetness when they want something from you.
Guilt trips, blame shifting, and projection confuse you so much that you can’t think clearly. Before you know it, you’re doing exactly what they wanted while your own needs get ignored.
This emotional con game leaves you feeling used and exhausted. Trust your gut when something feels off, even if the person seems nice on the surface. Real relationships don’t require tricks or manipulation to function properly.
6. Acting Like a Child
Tantrums aren’t just for toddlers. Some adults throw emotional fits when they don’t get their way, making everyone around them miserable.
Playing the victim is another childish tactic—suddenly they’re the one who’s suffering, even when they caused the problem. Petty jealousy over your success or happiness shows serious insecurity.
Overreacting to minor issues is exhausting for everyone involved. Mature adults handle disappointment with grace and communicate their feelings respectfully. If you’re constantly walking on eggshells to avoid someone’s meltdowns, that relationship is emotionally unhealthy. You’re not their parent or therapist.
7. Eroding Your Freedom of Speech
Constantly being interrupted or talked over sends a clear message: your thoughts don’t matter. Narcissists dominate conversations and dismiss your input as unimportant.
Mocking your ideas or feelings is another way they shut you down. When you try to express needs or set boundaries, they punish you with anger, silent treatment, or criticism.
Everyone deserves to be heard and respected when they speak. Your voice is valuable, and your feelings are valid. Relationships should encourage open communication, not create fear around expressing yourself. If someone consistently silences you, they don’t value you as an equal.
8. Refusing to Accept Responsibility
Accountability is a sign of maturity and respect. Narcissists, however, never admit when they’re wrong—it’s always someone else’s fault.
They rewrite events to make themselves the hero or victim, no matter what actually happened. Shifting blame onto you for problems they created is a favorite tactic.
This pattern makes resolving conflicts impossible because they won’t acknowledge their part in the issue. Healthy people own their mistakes and work to fix them. When someone constantly dodges responsibility, they’re showing you they value their ego more than the relationship. That’s not partnership—that’s manipulation.
9. Treating Your Boundaries as Optional
Boundaries are essential for healthy relationships, but narcissists see them as challenges to overcome. When you say no, they push harder or mock you for having limits.
Ignoring your clearly stated boundaries shows complete disrespect for your needs and autonomy. Some even punish you for enforcing reasonable rules, making you feel guilty for protecting yourself.
Your boundaries aren’t negotiable—they’re requirements for how you deserve to be treated. Anyone who can’t respect your limits doesn’t respect you as a person. Stand firm, even when it’s uncomfortable. Your wellbeing matters more than someone else’s convenience.
10. Undermining or Exploiting Your Achievements
Your accomplishments should be celebrated, not diminished. Narcissists feel threatened by your success because it takes attention away from them.
They’ll downplay your achievements, compete with you unnecessarily, or even take credit for your hard work. Redirecting conversations back to themselves when you share good news shows their need to always be the star.
Real friends and family lift you up and feel genuinely happy for your wins. If someone can’t celebrate your success without making it about themselves, that’s envy talking. You deserve people who cheer you on, not tear you down to feel better about themselves.