🧠 The Narcissist’s Playbook: 5 Common Tactics and How to Disarm Them

Ever felt like someone in your life can charm a room, twist the truth, and make you feel like the problem — all at the same time?

You may be dealing with a narcissist.

Narcissists don’t just crave attention. They crave control, admiration, and emotional dominance — and they have a well-worn playbook of tactics to get it.

Let’s expose the top 5 plays narcissists use — and more importantly, how to stop falling for them.

🎭 Tactic #1: Love Bombing

They come in hot — overwhelming you with compliments, gifts, and grand gestures. You feel like you’ve finally found “your person.”

But once they’ve hooked your emotions, the warmth vanishes — replaced by criticism, control, or withdrawal.

Why it works: It builds false intimacy fast, making you emotionally dependent.

Disarm it: Slow the pace. Don’t confuse intensity with intimacy. Watch how they respond to boundaries — not just how they love-bomb.

🪞 Tactic #2: Gaslighting

“You’re too sensitive.”“That never happened.”“You’re remembering it wrong.”

Gaslighting is a core tactic that makes you question your own reality so they can rewrite the narrative and stay in control.

Why it works: It erodes your confidence, making you easier to manipulate.

Disarm it: Keep receipts — journal, save texts, trust your memory. Reclaim your right to validate your own feelings and facts.

🎯 Tactic #3: Triangulation

They bring other people into the mix to manipulate you indirectly:“Everyone agrees with me.” Or: “Your friend even said you’re dramatic.”

This pits you against others to isolate and destabilize you.

Why it works: It creates competition, doubt, and dependency.

Disarm it: Don’t play the triangle game. Say: “I’d rather hear directly from that person,” and steer the focus back to the real conversation.

🎭 Tactic #4: Projection

They accuse you of the exact behavior they’re guilty of.

Cheating? Lying? Manipulating? They’ll point the finger at you to deflect attention from themselves.

Why it works: It puts you on the defensive, distracting from their behavior.

Disarm it: Don’t defend what’s false. Flip the focus: “That’s not accurate, and I won’t entertain it. Let’s talk about what’s actually happening.”

🧊 Tactic #5: Silent Treatment

They go cold. No texts. No calls. Total emotional shutdown — not to create space, but to punish and control you.

Why it works: It triggers anxiety and forces you to chase, apologize, or “fix” things — even if you didn’t do anything wrong.

Disarm it: Don’t engage. Let silence be met with stillness. You don’t owe someone access to you when they use silence as a weapon.

🛡️ Final Power Moves

• Spot the pattern — not the excuse. Narcissists often recycle the same behaviors with different disguises.

• Don’t argue to win. They twist logic. Set the boundary and disengage.

• Refuse to be their emotional supply. Attention — even angry attention — feeds their ego. Reclaim your calm.

💬 Final Word

Narcissists thrive in chaos, confusion, and self-doubt. But the moment you recognize the pattern, you become unplayable.

You don’t need to match their energy.You don’t need to fix them.You just need to see clearly — and choose differently.