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Do Narcissists Know What They Are Doing?
Narcissists are manipulators and to manipulate means you know what you are doing and you have a goal to achieve.
This question comes up quite often in the abuse survivor online communities. Do they know what they are doing? My answer is yes but it's no too. It also depends on the type of disordered person.
So let's dive into it.
Narcissists believe they are superior, entitled people, worthy of admiration, and deserving of unlimited success, power, and money. They are aware they exploit and coerce others and use various manipulation tactics to get what they want.
Narcissists are empathy deficient but that doesn't mean they are not aware that their actions hurt others. They simply do not care.
They see others as weak or stupid for allowing themselves to be used or manipulated. During a rage, my abuser would attack me and tell me how stupid I was for allowing him to move into my home after only a few months.
“You are so desperate and co-dependant, Candace!” He accused. “Who lets someone they barely know, with a drug problem, move into their home?”
Not only was he projecting his own desperation and co-dependant nature onto me, but he was basically…