My disastrous relationships with others (Narcissists included)

I've started a new thread because replies disappear in old/long threads.

Do we attract Narcissists, because we are gullible and vulnerable?

I was going to write a book about my distant cousin ( on my father's side), Miss B who is an extreme example of a sociopath/Narcissist.  Here I will give a few examples of my experiences with her in no particular order.

She's not all bad, by being around her and observing her social skills in manipulating other people.  I learnt a lot about dealing with people on a day to day basis.

I first met her when she was 16.  when she came to our family for a holiday and her extreme traits were visible even then.  Such as vindictiveness, never turn the other cheek, lateral thinking in getting your way or your own back ( even if it hurts the innocent),  blatant lying, being positive to the point of living in a fantasy world. Greed for money.

In Feb 2005 she came for her fifth visit.  At the time I was my mother's full time carer,  my father had passed away a couple of years before.  She wrote a letter  to my mother informing her of her arrival.  My mother wrote back twice asking her not to come. It was winter, weather was terrible, we both had flu's and colds, maybe wait till summer!

She came anyway, moved in with suitcases and refused to say why she came or how long she was intending to stay.  Just laughed when we asked.

Soon she told us about how her family had persuaded her to take out a mortgage on a flat in a new complex being built.  And since they were now part of the EU. Property prices were expected to rise rapidly and she needed £50,000 to pay of the mortgage.  Every day she was talking about needing £50,000 to pay off her mortgage.

After two weeks the atmosphere in the  house was getting worse and worse.  All she talked about was the 50,000 she needed to pay off her mortgage.  And accusing us in a temper of 'what kind of family are you!' who won't help!, Yelling at us that if my father was still alive, he would have given her the money by now, and she wouldn't even need to ask.

Shouting at my mother that all she does is sit on her backside all day watching television, getting a pension to live on and other people do everything for her!

We asked her to move out.  She refused and told us that it was up to us to find her a job, find her somewhere to live. Pay her rent and all her expenses.  Otherwise she won't go.

After a couple of months she left.  She and a friend moved into a flat share with two others.  She was very very positive on how wonderful life was, how wonderful the flat share was. How great and generous every one of her flat mates were.   All, very very positive and over the top flattery!!!!!

A month later, around 10pm she turned up, dishevelled, eyes red.  And asked me to pay her monthly rent.  It turns out that her flat mates had spent days asking her for her share of the rent.  And if she didn't pay up, then her suitcases would be out in the street in the morning 

I reminded her how she had told me a month ago how the four of them had agreed to share the flat, the rent and expenses, splitting everything four ways.

She explained that, that she never made an agreement and that was a joke.  When she made a verbal agreement to split the rent and bills. She was only joking.  That her fellow flatmates were a bunch of nutters with no senses of humour, who couldn't take a joke. And she wouldn't pay a penny for living in that f-__#@ s@#£&hole.

To cut this story short I paid the next three months rent for her.  To stop her moving back in with us.

She eventually did a runner from that flat owing several months rent and all bills unpaid.  This was repeated several times.

She did move back in with us the following year and that stay was even worse.

Breaking now for breakfast.

  • Hi there,

    I've posted a couple of times about a volatile situation that my brother has found himself in. Can anyone tell me if the following would suggest that his ex is a narcissist?

    I'll try and explain this briefly...

    10 years ago my brother and his now ex started a relationship. Within less than a year she sold her flat and she along with her daughter moved just down the road from where my brother lives. She told a friend (in not so many words) that she was going to have (my brother's) that house. 4-5 months later she became pregnant.

    My brother (who was already having some doubts) asked her and her daughter to move in because with a baby expected it seemed the right and gentlemanly thing to do. She never paid any contribution to the house apart from some windows (of which they split the bill jointly). Over the course of 6 years she emotionally abused my brother, put downs, not allowing him to do things that he enjoyed such as the family food shopping, lied to him, manipulated him and their shared circle of friends, refused relationship counselling and told him she wanted him to move out (of his house!). More emotional abuse, more lies, accusations and my brother ended up sleeping on the sofa for 6 months or so. She was expecting him to partially fund her daughters further education. He said that he wouldn't but offered her daughter £1,000 at the start of each year to help out. He got on well with the daughter. That's a very brief summary of what happened. Finally she moved out but demanded £60,000 off of him which I can only assume that she felt he 'owed' her...which he didn't. He finally said he'd give her £20,000 just to get her to go away.

    Eventually she moved out but left her belonging there for 2 years, which meant my brothers house was an absolute mess. The emotional abuse didn't stop there. She wrote a parental plan (that she added that my brother had co-authored) for him to sign. He didn't as what she was suggesting was unfair. Abusive emails and texts ensued on a very large scale. Manipulative behaviour involving and in front of my nephew at handovers, and quite frankly very bad behaviour. At one handover my brother had to say bye to his son through the letterbox.

    To try and get a proper parental plan drawn up he suggested mediation, she refused on the basis that she couldn't afford it. He was so desperate he told her he would pay for her half. Mediation started, she was unco-operative, again told lies and in the end terminated mediation and sent a slightly (badly written) amended parental plan with a solicitors letter. Reading through her plan it just didn't make sense and left 'grey' areas that left openings for her to continue being abusive, manipulative etc. etc. My brother has consulted a solicitor and has sent her a new proposed parental plan. He is yet to hear back.

    Why are people like this? She has lied to friends about my brother in a detrimental way, has threatened contacting child support about the fact she is owed more money from him (they both work but he gives her £200 a month to help make up for the difference in their salaries). He said he was happy for her to contact child support and has heard nothing from them. As it stands they share a 50/50 2 week rota with their son.

    I could go on, and on, and on about the details but does this sound like narcissistic behaviour?

    Ultimately I fear for my nephew. It seems inevitable that this will be going to court and is wholly unfair on him. My anxiety is 'through the roof' as to what might happen to him.

    Thanks.

  • At no point did it occur to you to tell her to sling her hook?

    I've been bunged on the street or otherwise shunned for far less...

  • Wow that's quite a story but I don't think we necessarily attract narcissistic people into our lives - it's just simply the case that there are more of these kinds of people around in our families, social circles and wider society. People nowadays aren't as good as handling the fact that often our lives are a matter of chance and artificial manipulation of the kind that narcissists carry only goes so far (as we've seen from the example of your cousin)

  • And us waldarf and statler (muppets)... excuse spellings

  • Your partner is basil brush? How odd...?!?!

    https://youtu.be/rtxbM7-jAD0

    Do whatever you need to clear your head and regain your focus. Monday morning will thank you(!)

  • Love to...but would have to get permission first.,, boom, boom.!

  • Virtual hug, Ellie. 

    Sounds like you are having a tough time right now. Hang in there. 

    How about a Sunday afternoon walk in the woods to clear your cobwebs?

  • Yes...we are naive and vulnerable. We give too much to others because our condition causes us to be rejected and we possess that overwhelming human need to be accepted. We get hurt, we don’t understand what we have done wrong, we appease, placate, sacrifice our own needs, get bruised, get hurt, get praised, get crushed.  Repeat ad nauseum...until spent and broken... the parasite has bled us dry....

    does it sound like I know this pattern? Sob 

  • Here is the main reason I call her a narcissist.

    In 2006 she attended her brother's wedding.  My mother asked to see any photos.  So she brought round the official DVD of the wedding.

    The whole session was freeze and rewind and replay of her scenes, how she looked. How she danced. How she was dressed.

    This was a black and white situation.

    She was interested in herself 100%. Her mouth was watering as she watched herself on the DVD.

    Zero interest in the bride or groom or anyone else !!!!!!

  • Thank you, Robert123. These anecdotes are incredibly useful.

    I am very sorry to hear that you and your mother have had such an awful time with such people. 

  • Had breakfast, more experiences.

    She was also a serial returner to shops.

    I feel shy and awkward about returning goods to shops and asking for exchanges or money back.

    She had no inhibitions.  Bought dresses, skirts, trousers, jackets and shoes.  Wear for about a week.  Return to shop with flimsy excuse, get money back, go next door buy new clothes.

    My mother suggested that she rent clothes instead of buying them.  Her reaction was immediate of disgust, that she would never wear second hand / used clothes!

    After a time things go wrong.  The shop staff recognise her straight away and their body language says it.  'it's her again!'

    She started asking me to return goods to shops on her behalf.  

    Another problem, especially with shoes was that the shops stood their ground and refused.  Mark's and Spencer have a very generous returns policy but they will only accept goods in a resellable condition.  She had worn their shoes for over three weeks and the soles were well worn.  M& S refused to accept them back.  She tried multiple times with different staff and eventually brought me to back her up.  But they still refused.

    Her determination to get her money back didn't waver.  She eventually gave the shoes away as a birthday present.  So instead of buying a birthday present for someone, she gave her own used/unwanted shoes.  Then she boasted about it.  My mother called her a disgusting pig when she heard about it.

    In another small independent shop she wanted to exchange knee high boots for ones of a slightly different design after one day.  The manager refused.  Told her that the boots were fine and she couldn't just change her mind and keep exchanging shoes.  We were both multilingual, so changed languages and she clearly said to me that she's a good judge of character and the shop manager will back down.  It's just a matter of time and he will break.  I WILL BREAK HIM, is what she actually said.

    For the next hour we sat in the shop with her moaning and groaning and complaining about her boots and wanting the other pair.  Eventually he told his young assistant to give her what she wants and he walked out of the shop for some fresh air.  During this hour she had changed her mind again and we exchanged these £50 boots for £75 boots and the shop assistant didn't ask for the £25 difference.

    Then there was the £165 silk dress she wore to a wedding.

    After the large two day wedding with reception with dancing.  The dress had dirty black sweat marks. So couldn't be returned as unworn. We went to the local launderette/dry cleaners.  She explained to the manager how important the dress was, how it had to be cleaned to look like new, so it could be returned to the shop.  And if dress was damaged in any way or not accepted by the shop as new.  Then HE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FULL COST OF THE DRESS.  She was really shouting at him and added. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND????".   

    He told her to take her dress and GET OUT.

    A few weeks later I saw the man and he wanted to know where I found her?  That he was experienced at dealing with dissatisfied customers because it was part of the job.  But he had never had a customer shouting and screaming threats at him,. Before he had even done the cleaning.