The false self replaces the narcissist's true self and is intended to shield him from hurt and narcissistic injury by self-imputing omnipotence. The narcissist pretends that his false self is real and demands that others affirm this confabulation, meanwhile keeping his real imperfect true self under wraps.
In a full-fledged narcissist, the False Self imitates the True Self. It causes the narcissist to re-interpret certain emotions and reactions in a flattering, socially acceptable, light. The narcissist may, for instance, interpret fear as compassion.
Real-life examples of the false self are based around certain beliefs that we take on in order to fit into our worlds better. If I am pretty, I will be more likeable. If I have a lot of money, I am successful. If I work hard/achieve more, I will have more value.
When the NPD lies, he or she is trying to make themselves appear dominant. They lie for self-gain believing that telling mistruths makes them look smarter than the other person. Having a victim at their side who they can lie to provides them with a constant narcissistic supply, someone that fuels their sickness.
Many narcissists try to put up a false self to conceal their authentic self. They are hypersensitive to insults and setbacks. They often feel humiliated and react with anger and rage or depression. They are frequently ashamed of themselves and try to hide their perceived flaws and imperfections.
Type As can also be dangerous to narcissists
Although they can be targeted, type A people can also become a narcissist's worst nightmare. One of the most important defenses against dark personalities is having strong boundaries yourself, and type A people are usually aware they have the right to build them.
Lies and then denial or shifting blame
That's true of the narcissist, too, but in a bad way: No matter where he starts, it will always come back to you, especially when he's lying. The narcissist lies for different reasons than the rest of us.
Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by self-absorption, grandiosity, exploitation of others and lack of empathy. The tendency to elicit admiration from others is epitomic, but it is manipulative and finalized to take a personal advantage.
This true self is the feeling self, but for the narcissist the feeling self must be hidden and denied. Since the superficial self represents submission and conformity, the inner or true self is rebellious and angry.
The false self: The delusionist
The false self is an artificial persona that people create very early in life to protect themselves from re-experiencing developmental trauma, shock, and stress in close relationships. Meaning, our delusionary self-creation process starts early in our childhood.
Readily revealing themselves while in the midst of familiar, grandiose states of mind, narcissists tend to hide what they consider shameful signs of weakness, deficiency, or failure.
In refusing to acknowledge that they have made a mistake, narcissists fail to learn from those mistakes, a recent study from Oregon State University – Cascades found.
However, research indicates that unlike Narcissus staring at himself reflecting in the pool, many narcissists actually aren't in love with themselves after all. Quite the opposite, in fact. Much of the time, a narcissist's behaviour isn't driven by self-love – rather, self-hatred.
It comes hand-in-hand with this that narcissists hate being criticised or called out. Which is exactly why there's one word in particular narcissistic people cannot stand: "no".
Often, they keep deviating from the topic or shift the blame. You could say that narcissists act have overinflated egos and perceive things differently; this is why they might perceive the lies as their truth and act accordingly. Thus, they do not believe they lie and distort the truth.
Key points. Narcissists are fully aware that they are narcissistic and have a reputation as such. Narcissists would rather be admired than liked. Narcissists are masters at making first impressions, leading them to do better with short-term relationships.
Their eyes go from their natural colour into something so dark, so devoid of any human emotion, you become paralysed. This narcissistic stare is often referred to as a sociopathic stare, “death stare”, or “reptilian stare”, and is described as “pure evil”.
The narcissist is often portrayed gazing at himself in the mirror, after all. The word is drawn from Greek mythology that portrays the young Narcissus who falls in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water, his very own mirror.