How Narcissists use Gossip To Achieve Their Goals

Gossiping is one of the worst things you can do to someone.  Whether it’s intentional or not, spreading rumors, lies, & other confidential information can have a devastating effect on relationships.  Proverbs 17:9 in the Amplified Bible says, “He who covers & forgives an offense seeks love, But he who repeats or gossips about a matter separates intimate friends.”  Unfortunately, gossiping is a common tactic used by narcissists to achieve their goals.

Narcissists want their victims to be isolated because it helps them to manipulate & control their victims when there is no outside interference.  They know that if their victims are surrounded by people who know the truth, their lies & manipulations will be exposed.  To avoid this, they use gossip to turn people against each other & create division.  This isolation helps to keep their victims in a state of powerlessness & confusion.  Today, we’ll look at how narcissists use gossip to achieve their goals of separation & control.

Narcissists use gossip to spread lies & rumors about their victims.  They may tell one person one thing about their victim & then another person something completely different.  This creates confusion & misunderstanding between the people who have been gossiped about.  It also serves to further isolate the victim from their friends & family.

The lies & rumors that narcissists spread about their victims are hurtful & damaging.  They may accuse their victims of things they didn’t do or spread rumors about their personal lives.  This can make it difficult for the victim to be taken seriously or even believed by people who believe the gossip.

Narcissists also use gossip to discredit their victims or make them look bad.  They may spread rumors about their victims’ shortcomings or flaws in order to make them look bad.  This can make it extremely difficult for the victim to get the help & support they need which can make it difficult for victims to trust others or form meaningful relationships.

Narcissists may also use gossip to discredit people who could potentially challenge their power or control.  They spread rumors about these people in order to make them look bad & ruin their reputation.  This allows the narcissist to maintain their power & control in the situation.

Finally, narcissists also use gossip to gain attention & power.  They may spread rumors & lies about their victims in an attempt to gain the attention & admiration of others.  They may also use gossip to manipulate & control their victims.  They may use gossip to turn people against each other or even to manipulate their victims into doing what they want.

Narcissists are experts at using gossip to get what they want, & sadly this tactic often works & has devastating effects on their victims.

Gossip is a powerful tool.  It’s important to be aware of how gossip can be used negatively & to protect yourself & those you love from its damaging effects.

No matter how tempting it may be to gossip, it’s important to remember that it can have serious consequences.  Be mindful of what you say & keep Proverbs 17:9 in mind.  By doing so, it will help you not to participate in such a harmful activity & it will help you not to assist a narcissist in their cruel games.

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

Saving Face Matters To Narcissists

 

What others think of the narcissist is the most important thing in the world to them, so they will do anything to protect it.  That can include acting like they are the real victim when you confront them on their abusive ways.

 

If you tell a narcissist something they do hurts you, you open the door for a world of gaslighting/crazy making behaviors.  They may rage, scream, cry, use guilt or calmly state why you are the abusive one.

 

 

When my parents & I had our last fight in May, 2016, as I’ve mentioned before, it was because my parents were supposedly upset I hadn’t told them that my mother in-law passed away.  They saw her obituary in the local paper after the funeral was done.  My parents claimed they wanted to attend, but didn’t learn of the funeral in time, which is the only reason they didn’t go.  This hurt me because I’d told them how cruel she had been to me over the years, yet they wanted to “pay their respects” to her?!  I told them I felt betrayed, yet neither understood my feelings.  In fact, when I told them “she treated me like dirt for years!”, both of my parents had the same reaction: “But that’s Eric’s mother!”  My response was, “But I’m your daughter!”  Silence for a few seconds then, “But that’s Eric’s mother!” was the response.  It became crystal clear to me that the fact that was his mother & my parents want to impress my husband mattered much more than the fact they were hurting their own daughter.  Looking like the caring in-laws to the man they want to impress, my husband, was more important than anything else.

 

This is very typical of narcissists.  If taking responsibility for something they have done puts them at risk of looking “less than,”they can’t deal with that.  Shaming you or making you look like the bad guy is worth it, so long as their mask doesn’t slip off.  There is nothing they won’t do to save face.

 

If you confront the narcissist in your life, please be well aware that this can happen to you too.  If it does, remember this isn’t about you!  This is about them protecting their fragile self esteem.  The truth isn’t important, neither is not hurting you.  Maintaining their reputation is all that matters.