State specifically what you did wrong. Briefly explain HOW you'll do it differently in the future. Ask if the person needs something from you in addition to the apology. And no “I'm sorry you feel that way.” No “I'm sorry, but…” No excuses. No qualifiers, No justifications.
The defensive apology
The following are some examples: “I'm sorry. I was wrong and I know it but if you hadn't pressured me the way you did, I would never have done it.
A non-apology apology, sometimes called a backhanded apology, nonpology, or fauxpology, is a statement in the form of an apology that does not express remorse for what was done or said, or assigns fault to those ostensibly receiving the apology.
Type 1 - The Dismissive Apology - “Sorry", “I'm sorry”, backed up with turning away, doing something else, or walking away. The apology that is said to dismiss the conversation, to negate feelings or responsibility.
A phrase designed to elicit an apology from the other party, whereby the original apologizer can deflect full responsibility to that other person; usually said in a hostile or sarcastic tone and often followed by an explicit or implicit “…but this is really your fault”
A gaslight apology is an apology given that often appears sincere but the person is actually not taking any responsibility for what they have caused.
In narcissists' efforts to avoid blame, they often combine several fake apologies at once, such as, “I am sorry if I said anything to offend you, but I have strong opinions. Maybe you're too sensitive,” or, “I guess I should tell you I am sorry. But you know I would never deliberately hurt you.
Narcissists may use a blame-shifting apology, where they apologize but then shift the blame onto the other person. For example, they may say, “I'm sorry I yelled at you, but you made me so angry.” This type of apology does not take responsibility for their actions and places the blame on the other person.
An insincere apology occurs when it doesn't involve remorse or regret. Sometimes an apology may make you feel worse rather than offering an opportunity for reconciliation. A false apology can lead to resentment and anger, which may make you feel misunderstood, invalidated, or manipulated.
Apologies have been defined as involving acceptance of responsibility for an offense and an acknowledgment of its wrongfulness. In contrast, pseudo-apologies index a stance lacking in remorse.
Passive-aggressive apologies are also insincere and intended to make the recipient feel badly. An example of this is emphatically repeating, “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!” Coerced apologies or those that fulfill someone's expectations are not sincere. Transactional - “I apologized now, so it's your turn.”
Like Speech Bubble (2008), Blanket Apology is a dialogue between a man and a woman. The man is attempting to offer an apology for his sexual perversion, unethical medical practices, theft, and hubris; while at the same time attempting to 'save face' and maintain his position as a public figure.
He remembered the three R's – regret, react, reassure.
“I'm sorry,” is just a string of words. No matter how close you are with someone or good you think that person is, an apology without change is manipulation. That doesn't have to mean that you should remove that person from your life, though, nor does it mean that your relationship is unsalvageable.
Acknowledging the hurt without holding ourselves accountable for future harm may soothe our guilt, but it does little to mend the relationship or restore trust. What good does it do to tell someone I'm sorry I hurt you right now, but I'll hurt you again later?
1. They add "but" at the end of their apology as a way to avoid taking responsibility for the topic of conflict e.g. "sorry but you made me do it." 2. They dismiss your emotions surrounding the topic e.g. "sorry, you're taking it all wrong." 3.
But apologies are too often used as a quick fix for our uneasiness. When we focus more on our own discomfort than on the distress of the other person, our apology is selfish, and selfish apologies are usually ineffective.
They go into attack mode to make it about you so they can boost their narcissistic supply. When you apologize, the narcissist sees it as a weakness and will use this against you. Maybe you are thinking it would be wrong to not apologize if you did something to hurt someone else.
Those who live with narcissism may find it difficult to hold positive and negative feelings for someone at the same time. As a result, things may get heated in an argument. You may experience insults, put-downs, and even mocking behaviors, like laughing as you express hurt.
A narcissist who has done the internal work to heal and change may be able to cry because they truly feel remorseful or are moved by someone else's distress. Even people with narcissism who lack empathy for others may cry for different reasons. For example, they cry, but behind that emotion is anger.
Apologize. If you've heard someone say, “Narcissists never apologize,” they're not exactly right. While many traits of narcissism like entitlement, elitism, and arrogance make it unlikely someone with narcissistic traits will go the apology route, apologies are sometimes used with ulterior motives.