Number 1: Name-Dropping for Relevance
In real life, a defeated narcissist can’t sit silently with their lost status. So they start dropping names, and the names that they drop are irrelevant to the conversation. They may be talking about their buddy who is a film guy, or the fellow they were going into business with, or the fellow whom they dated some time ago who is now a success a somebody. It feels random, and that’s exactly what it is. This kind of name-dropping is their way of grasping for borrowed relevance.
They feel small, so they reach for names that might inflate their image, even if no one in the room knows who they’re talking about. It’s like they’re trying to put a famous sticker on a broken identity. You’ll see them do this in very specific ways. For instance, they will enter a restaurant and greet a waiter casually as if they know the manager or the owner, or else they will shout, “Is so-and-so working today?”
loudly enough for others to hear, expecting someone to be impressed. It is not who is there, really; it is who they can pretend to be. And when it fails, they are that much more desperate.
Number 2: Recycling Stories for Validation
They tell the same story twice, though they make it slightly different. As their image begins to fade, narcissists use their best-selling stories that they believe worked before. The story is never old: facts change, outcomes are different, and the characters they portray become more heroic, more tragic, or more worthy of praise. They’re self-editing in the moment. You can even catch them beginning the same old story the second time during the same conversation.
You may also want to read this:
Why Narcissists Act Like Saints in Public but Devils at Home
7 Signs That A Narcissist Is Done With You
What Happens To Narcissists When They Get Older?
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