The Lesser Narcissist
Here comes a Lesser Narcissist. We shall call him Lee.
“What did you call me?”
Hello Lee. A Lesser Narcissist.
“No I’m not, it’s you that’s the narcissist, I’m sick of you saying that there is something wrong with me, when it’s you that has the problem. You do it on purpose, always trying to wind me up, I’ve fucking had enough of it.”
Sigh. That’s another plate broken and a panel punched in the door. Again. He’s gone, but he will be back. You see, that’s a typical reaction of the Lesser. He doesn’t know what he is. Often he will not even know what a narcissist is, but if you try to tell him, even if you do it in a calm and pleasant way, he doesn’t hear what you are saying, he just hears the criticism. When that happens his fury ignites and usually he will lash out. That’s why he insulted me, tried to shift the blame on to me, smashed the plate and punched the door. He didn’t think about doing any of that. It just happened. He reacts and responds by instinct. He is a creature of instinct. I didn’t hear the front door slam so he must be in the house still. Let’s go and find him.
Here he is. Locked in his den. His bolthole and sanctuary from the criticism. He is tapping away on his ‘phone. Let’s see. Yes, he is texting a couple of ladies who he has been flirting with online. You see, he didn’t hang around to see my reaction to the ignition of his fury, but he knows it will have troubled me. Sometimes knowing that reaction will be enough but not today. His fuel supplies must be low. That’s why he is tapping into some secondary sources by texting or probably sexting these women. Let’s see if we can coax him out of his bolthole. I will knock at the door.
You see he has turned his head and smiled, but hasn’t answered my knocking. He is pleased that I have come to try to find out if he is alright. That makes him feel powerful. My reaction, of tip-toing to him and gently rapping on the door reinforces that he is the one who is superior in our relationship. Again, he doesn’t think this through, so do be grateful for your humble narrator explaining this for you, but that is what is happening inside of Lee. I knock again and call out his name. He remains silent. Lee knows that silent treatment makes him feel powerful. Add that sensation to the flirtatious messages I can see that he is receiving and he is receiving fuel from three sources. Me and two supplementary sources. They are probably acquaintances now since mobile numbers have been exchanged. The fury that Lee experienced at my perceived criticism will now be subsiding as the fuel is provided. This makes him feel calmer. Lee knows that certain things make him furious and then other things makes him calmer. Let’s ask him if he knows why.
“Hey Lee, don’t hide in there, why did you get angry like that? All I did was say that you are a lesser narcissist.”
Notice that I haven’t said this in a pleading way, or through tears, or even shouted it at him. I have made this point and asked the question in a neutral fashion. Watch what he does now. See how fast the irritation has arrived. This is because I am not giving him any fuel with my comment. I have also interrupted the flow of the fuel from the two women by distracting him. To make matters worse I have repeated the comment and he will perceive this as a criticism. Again, he won’t have worked any of this out, he is a Lesser so it doesn’t happen. Whereas I have explained the process. This is what actually happens in Lee’s mind.
- He hears my comment;
- He feels wounded by that comment. This manifests as irritation;
- His fury ignites.
It is as quick and as straight forward as that. Here comes the fury.
Lee marches from his desk and flings the den door open.
“How many fucking times have I told you not to disturb me when I am in my den? You never listen to me!”
Notice the contorted features as the fury takes over.
“I only asked a reasonable question.”
I say this in a neutral tone again. No fuel is being provided. This annoys him further because this is a criticism and it wounds him.
“Are you saying I am unreasonable?” he demands jutting his jaw forward in an aggressive manner.
Of course dear reader I said no such thing did I, but Lee doesn’t process it that way. My neutral remark is taken again as a criticism, hence his response.
“I’m just pointing out what you are and besides, you are always in there, messing around doing who knows what, you should be working.”
Lee rarely works. He doesn’t see any reason to. He believes I should keep him after all, in his mind he is the superior one and therefore I should run around after him. He only does chores when he knows he can get some fuel, for instance, chopping logs in the yard so people can admire his physical prowess, otherwise he won’t bother. Again Lee doesn’t think about chopping the logs in terms of receiving admiring looks from our neighbour Josie, he just knows when he does it, she smiles and talks to him and he feels good inside. But I digress. Back to the foaming Lee who is stood in the doorway of the den. He won’t let me in there. It is his domain. What is his is his and nobody else’s.
“What are you saying that for?” he growls. His fury is increasing at the criticism that he should be working. Here it comes. The right hand swipes and he slaps me across my face. You see he cannot control the fury and with Lee it manifests as heated fury as he lashes out.
I let out a cry and raise my palm to my face, eyes showing the pain arising from his physical abuse of me. Look at that small smile on his lips. That is because my fearful reaction has given him negative fuel. He wanted that. He doesn’t know that he wanted that but he knows that seeing me scared, upset, angry or frustrated, amongst other things makes him feel stronger and more powerful.
“You should be working,” I repeat but the neutral tone is gone now and it comes out part comment, part sob as the tears well up. His hand is raised to deliver another blow but he doesn’t because my tears are fuelling him. Although I have criticised him by stating he should be working, it will not feel like criticism to Lee because it is surrounded in emotion. That is what he wants. He doesn’t know that, but that is what he wants.
His fury is still there but it has receded within his parameters of control, low as they are. If I had kept on he would have erupted further and probably punched and kicked me down the hall. It has happened before. And will again. As a Lesser his control threshold is low and regularly his fury boils over into verbal and physical violence. Notice how he is standing there grinning. The provision of my fuel is making him feel powerful and that is why he looks happy. It is not true happiness. Lee doesn’t know what that is, but he knows that feeling powerful makes him feel good and that is why he is smiling. I am going to back off now.
I walk away and Lee content with the fuel he has extracted from me (although he does not know this) turns and goes back into the den. He will text the two ladies for a while longer, gathering more fuel and then with the fury receded and his fuel levels higher, he will feel more settled so he will watch one of his action films or play on his Xbox for a while. He won’t be thinking about me. He doesn’t have the function to do so for long when I am not in front of him. Lee as a Lesser is very much about dealing with what is on his plate. Yes, I will invade his consciousness from time to time but he is not given to planning. It is all spur of the moment, reaction, responses, instinct, seat of the pants. That is why he is seen as such a whirlwind, bouncing from one ignition of fury to the next. He has no overarching strategy, no grand design, but he is an aggressive hunter gatherer who knows that I, his longstanding and long suffering partner infuriates him but he keeps me around because, well, I do the chores and lie there and think of England when he is grinding away on top of me. Writing of which, let’s fast forward to bed time. I have retired first and here comes Lee padding up the stairs, a belly full of Scotch (he likes a few drinks when he is watching his films).
“Hey,” he says as he enters the darkened bedroom. He doesn’t lower his voice or gently shake me. Why would be bother when he is entitled to do as he pleases. Again, Lee doesn’t think that way, he just does it, he just acts in that manner of the entitled Lesser.
“What is it?” I ask blearily.
“Move over, I’m getting in.”
That’s his way of saying he wants sex. If he wanted to sleep he would just climb into bed. Notice how there is no apology for hitting me, no expression of concern or remorse for the earlier altercation. That’s because he has forgotten about it. Imagine Lee’s mind like a small external hard driver. It only has so much memory and automatically jettisons so much information. If in a few days’ time I refer to him slapping me he will give me a confused look and say,
“What are you talking about?”
That’s because he cannot recall it. It has been wiped from his mind. It is an instinctive reponse and demonstrates why with the Lesser he denies so much of what he is accused of and does it with sincerity because he really does not remember. There is no pretence, not like those from other schools. He does not remember, but that is a few days away. Let’s return to now.
“I said, move up, I am getting in.”
Still no apology. He continues as if nothing happened earlier. This is because he sees no wrong in what he has done. He responded. It was instinct to him and therefore for him, instinct is natural and correct. If I challenged him about his behaviour from before, now, it would be a criticism. His fury would be ignited and with the additional accelerant of the alcohol I would be dragged from the bed, beaten and forced to sleep downstairs. He may even throw me in my night clothes on to the street. All an instinctive reaction to the criticism and his lack of control over his ignited fury. I won’t challenge him though. I have learned not to, it is safer you see. It took me a long time to realise that this was the best course of action. I used to stand up to him you see. I thought that it would make him respect me if I did but it won’t. The Lesser regards any denial of their authority as criticism and, you’ve guessed it, the fury ignites.
Time to put on a performance then. If I refuse his advances he will kick off. If I don’t put in feigned enthusiasm, he will kick off. As a Lesser he is not very good at distinguishing between real and faked emotions at times. He is better with some than others. For instance, he knows real fear and upset compared to any that is faked. This is because he has the most experience of seeing people scared, upset and frightened so he instinctively knows when it is real and when it is not. When it comes to matters between the sheets although Lee believes himself to be the champion of sexual technique (he has certainly had plenty of partners as he regularly likes to boast about them to me) he could be rutting a slab of steak for all the variance and finesse he deploys. He wasn’t always like that. He did make an effort during our golden period, but that is long gone. Now he just wants to exert his dominance over me and be made to feel powerful so you will have to excuse me as I make the relevant noises, say the stock phrases and pull my porn faces. That will please Lee the Lesser and provide him with a final burst of delicious positive fuel before he slumps besides me and falls into an undisturbed sleep. He always sleeps well does Lee. His lesser function means that there is not a lot racing around in his mind as slumber approaches. So, there’s a glimpse of how a – I’d better whisper this so he doesn’t hear – Lesser Narcissist is. Now, turn around please, you shouldn’t be watching what comes next.
25 thoughts on “The Lesser Narcissist”
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How do I know the difference in the different levels of lesser?
Have a look at the Fuel Matrix – Part One, there is more information there. Ultimately, consult with me by e-mail and provide me with the information and I will tell you.
This sounds exactly like what I have dealt with. Although a hand was never raised to me. Is a lesser still a lesser without the physical element?
Furthermore, my mother had no empathy for me. Not once, not ever. She chain-smoked in the home, my bedroom and had 27 cats even though the doctors implored her not to do so. I had to have adrenaline injected into my heart at age 2 to save me from the asthma suffocating me. Yet she seemed to rescue every stray cat or mangey mongrel that wandered by. She was lauded as “Snow White” for her kindness toward animals. Is it possible for a Narcissist to have empathy towards animals? Or was it perhaps farce or feined to appear compassionate to other people or are the animals her preffered counter parts because they ask no questions and adore her blindly? Sorry, this article stirred many questions within.
Hello HG,
Is it possible that there are victim narcissists who like a masochistic role and provoke violent outbursts on purpose?
Which article is on the victim narcissist?
https://youtu.be/pvsqzF5H3Zg
I know this not your type of music but OMG those lyrics for an empath
I secretly enjoyed the challenge as I knew I was right.
Yucky Yucky Yucky
I see that twat for what he is.
I still don’t hate him though but I never want to see him again. I know he has had to do this for his existence and he is not aware. He must be aware of the cycle of events though as the same happens to everyone and he was the one who recommended no contact when I kept challenging him. HG as I challenged him throughout this short relationship does that mean that I myself had some narc traits but the empathic ones were more evident? Help me to understand me please 😕
Your analysis has force behind it.
Are you able to expand further on that at all?
Accurate portrait of the piece of shit, dog pissing on you to mark his territory, lazy ass, dumb as a box of rocks, loud-mouthed, abuser of women and children, rapist that is the Lesser. May he be a bottom for another hulking Lesser In whatever oblivion he was banished to.
HG – have you ever come across a narc who has some traits of all three types?
There are instances for example where you may find a Greater who uses silent treatment and can be physically violent. There are certain traits which can be found in each school BUT are more obvious and dominant in certain schools, for example, of all three schools Lessers will be the ones who use physical violence more than the other two, but that does not mean a MR of Greater will not use physical violence. Some traits are exclusive to certain schools, for instance the awareness is limited to the Greater school. You will not find someone who has all traits of all three schools in ‘equal measure’.
Thanks HG. Trying to work out where my ex narc fit into this. He had his “den”, (in fact, hebused to insist he was a bear, as part of his made up personality, and wound talk about his paws, fur and muzzle instead of hands, hair and face, and insisted I do the same as part of his power and control cycle). He had many of the Lesser traits without the physical abuse. I’m certain he is aware of what he is, but of course won’t admit it, and claims to have a deep well of empathy. He also hides behind the facade of being a domestic abuse adviser, and claims that only women use the techniques you describe – he does this to hide his own abuse of women and to have men rally to his cause in some sort of misguided misogynistic orgy of hate.
HG, this is brilliant!
I love your writing technique – your words are like silent fireworks to my eyes. They excite and comfort me at the same time.
My ex narc was a Lesser, and you have descibed him to a T in the most wonderful way. Your posts make me happy.
Narcissist or not, I hope you make enough money to use it as toilet paper.
I think there is a wide variety within each school, depending on national origin, race, language, etc, etc. Within the Lesser, HG could have as well described a young, hot, Greek or Italian stud who is bilingual, with a military background, who grew up on the streets of rough American neighborhoods, which all combined, plus the inability to hold his fury back, would invariably land him in hot water time and time again, and build a solid criminal history. He’s hot, muscular, handsome, and knows how to use his charm to ensnare many women very easily, and a lot is forgiven by the system, for his charm and good looks.
He doesn’t know he is a narcissist, but he loves who he is.
Not icky at all, Kris.
Add Christian faith to the mix and you have a lesser narcissist who knows his actions are God-approved.
Lee seems ickier, which is funny. The whole trio is icky!
In would rather call it a vile abuser.. rather than a narcs..
😜
HG omg! How do you know how a lesser etc acts when you are not them? As an ex codependent this experience made me realise what I am and to rectify it. Can a narc ever become alert from a trigger? My trigger being the narc relationship (if you can call it that). I hate to think he is abusing his IPPS but what could I do about it?
I have been around them and I observe how they are in order to ensure I can convey the facts for you.
Oh OK. What about the other questions please?
I don’t understand what you mean by a narc becoming alert from a trigger, perhaps you could elaborate?
You are so right, the narc I date is a lesser! His rage and temper is shown quickly if he is criticized in any way! This is getting ridiculous
HG what I am meaning is that it took my involvement with a narc to enable me to identify that I had issues. I suppose it was an awakening and I never even realised this. I did not think there was anything wrong with me that needed addressed. So you said some narcs do not know what they truly are but they do it instinctively. Could there ever be a trigger as such to awaken them? It is just that I am an alert person now and this awful experience has triggered my emotional neglect as a child which has had impact on my life that I almost have had a false self like you. I never wanted to hurt people and I never did. The thing recently I have realised is that I to have hAve a void and it was kept at bay by being busy continuously. Now that this is really lax now I find myself cannot be bothered and bored. Time to address this now and get a happy medium.
Does that make sense?
Also the other question is: if we know they have family what can we do to assist as I hate the feeling of thinking he may be abusing/physically etc his partner and young child. Any ideas?