Narcissists don’t want to be ignored because they can only feel good about themselves when receiving positive attention. The ironic thing is that this very need for attention prevents them from getting the love and affection they crave.
Narcissists hate being ignored. This is because they interpret it as a sign of disapproval and rejection. So, they go out of their way to seek attention to reassure themselves.
Narcissists hate being ignored for two big reasons.
The first one is that they believe that everyone is as interested in them as themselves. Narcissists are convinced that everyone shares their interests and views. Therefore, if you ignore a narcissist, they assume that you are not interested in them or that you are not interested in their views. This makes them feel both bad and angry.
The second reason: narcissists are used to being the center of attention. Ignoring them makes them feel bad and angry. Narcissists often have a very inflated opinion of themselves. If you ignore them, they feel like you have just disrespected them.
How do narcissists react to being ignored?
Narcissists hate being ignored because they don’t feel loved. No one likes to feel ignored, but narcissists hate it more than average. They are so sensitive to being ignored that they will often turn to violence, or worse, attempt suicide.
What they don’t realize is that they are the reason that they are being ignored. Narcissists are so self-absorbed that they don’t care about anyone else’s needs.
They don’t care if they hurt someone’s feelings, so narcissists make easy targets for the people around them. You mustn’t take the actions of a narcissist personally, even if they do hurt your feelings.
Why should you not ignore a narcissist?
So you’re ignoring a narcissist, and they are very upset. You just made the narcissist’s worst fear come true. In the narcissist’s mind, they are the center of the universe.
You are doing something that makes the narcissist’s life worse. They are very emotional and are likely to lash out at you. Narcissists are not used to being ignored by those around them. They are used to being the center of the universe.
Knowing this, you might think it is a good idea to ignore a narcissist. However, this is a big mistake. Narcissists cannot handle being ignored. As a result, you are only making the situation worse. It would be much better to ignore the narcissist passively. When you ignore a narcissist, you must clarify that you aren’t ignoring them. It would help if you ignored them subtly.
How to ignore a Narcissist safely?
Narcissists are very sensitive to rejection and often react with a strong sense of anger to the slightest criticism, real or imagined. So, the easiest way to ignore a narcissist is not to notice them. They don’t like being ignored because it makes them feel powerless like they are invisible. It’s important not to do it too often, though, or they will become suspicious and dig their claws in even more. It’s best to mix ignoring the narcissist with a bit of attention to keep the relationship going.