4. You’re Gaining Social Power
Narcissists seem to freeze you out when everyone starts noticing your success because, to them, it’s not just about your win, but how it affects their position in the social pecking order. According to Dr. W. Keith Campbell, a psychologist and author of The Narcissism Epidemic, narcissists see relationships as a competition. If you start gaining more attention or power, they feel threatened. Their coldness is their way of protecting their ego from the idea that they might be losing ground. They panic because the shift in focus from them to you could mean their social rank drops, and in their world, that’s a crisis.
5. They Want You to Chase
According to Dr. Shannon Thomas, author of Healing from Hidden Abuse, narcissists are masters of emotional manipulation, and one of their favorite tactics is making you chase after them. They act cold during important moments to get you to seek their validation. It makes you second-guess yourself or feel like you’ve messed up. The more you chase, the more control they feel they have. They gain a sense of power by making you bend over backward to win back their affection, all while you’re left wondering if you did something wrong.
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