Number 1: Sometimes the abuser is overly affectionate.
A form of narcissistic abuse can be the complete opposite of what society portrays as abuse. The abuser can be overly loving and affectionate towards the victim. This can be in many forms such as inappropriate gifts early on in the relationship, or the abuser can move too quickly for the victim emotionally and disguise that by expressing how much they love them.
This is a form of emotional manipulation, which is a critical sign of abuse but can be the hardest to detect. The abuser can use phrases such as: “I only act this way because I love you so much” or “I will do that for you if you agree to do this for me”. Everything centers around their emotional wants and feelings, belittling the victims.
Number 2: The silent treatment.
The silent treatment is another way narcissists can emotionally manipulate their victims. They choose silence over discussing their feelings because they crave the attention the victim gives them to speak to them again. When a victim or significant other begs and pleads for the attention of the narcissist, it empowers the abuser. Many times, the narcissist will begin the argument that leads to them giving the victim the silent treatment. Even if they begin the fight, the victim has to apologize.
This tactic can be one of the worst ways to disable the communication process between the narcissist and victim. The goal of the silent treatment is to guilt the person into talking to you and admitting they’re wrong, even if they didn’t actually do anything. Now, this isn’t saying that all people who use the silent treatment are narcissists, but this is to inform you of a known tactic narcissists tend to use.
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