Have you ever met someone so charming and intelligent that you somehow didn’t manage to see their flaws until it was too late? You looked past their need for control and all the terrible things that they did to you. More than likely, it wasn’t even a conscious choice, you were simply blind to what was happening.
If you’ve ever been in a scenario like that, it’s likely that you were being manipulated by a narcissist. If you want to keep yourself safe from their malicious power, then keep a close eye out for these 4 subtle tricks a narcissist will use to control you.
1. Triangulation
A narcissist will do whatever they can to manipulate you. So, if using another person is going to be effective enough, they’ll do it. When they employ the triangulation method, they bring in a third person into the situation. More often than not, this will be someone that you admire or are close to as well.
For example, they may want to convince you that you’re stubborn. To do that, they’ll tell you that a close friend of yours has said the same thing about you too. Similarly, they may also use another person to make you feel inferior or jealous.
2. Name-Calling
Abuse doesn’t just involve being hit, kicked, or having things thrown at you. On the contrary, some of the most vicious kinds of abuse are emotional. Namely, verbal abuse and name-calling are some of the most damaging ways that a narcissist will keep you under their control.
Although it may sound childish, it’s an extremely effective tactic. They will call you any name that they can think of just to make you lose confidence in yourself. Sadly, if they do it often enough, you’re likely to start believing their accusations too.
3. Gaslighting
When speaking about narcissistic manipulation tricks, gaslighting is one of the most used of them all. This is a form of psychological manipulation which will make you lose all faith in yourself. Then, you’ll be left feeling like the only person in your life that you can trust is the malicious narcissist who put you in this position.
The way that they carry this out is by convincing you that everything that you know is wrong. When discussing a past event, they may tell you that you’re incorrect about what happened and will then rewrite history and tell you a new story. Likewise, they will make you believe that all your opinions, especially negative ones about them, are wrong.
4. Diverting
Narcissists never want people to see their true colors. Additionally, they don’t ever want to lose control of a situation or conversation. Because of that, they often use diversion to either keep their power or to keep people away from seeing the real them. Unfortunately, it’s a tactic that can be completely infuriating to deal with.
If you’re arguing with someone like this and trying to confront them about something that they did wrong, this is the trick that they’ll most likely use. Instead of taking responsibility for themselves, they’ll completely change the subject. Along with that, they may also personally attack you to take the attention away from their own misdoings.
Although these people are overly confident and full of themselves, they’re not dumb. In fact, they can be some of the most intelligent people that you’ll ever meet, and that’s what makes them so dangerous. Narcissists are clever enough to manipulate and abuse people without their victims ever noticing it. So, the only way to protect yourself is to be aware of what tricks they might use and know when to walk away.
Anyone you know could be unfortunate enough to suffer at the hands of a narcissist. Likewise, someone you know might be a victim of it right now. Share this article with your friends and family to show them which subtle tricks they need to look out for.
