Difficulty Being Alone

Narcissists need narcissistic supply to give them a sense of validation and self-worth. They need people to provide that, so they find it very difficult to be on their own, where they are left with nobody to give them external adoration or attention. They may need to have multiple sources of supply on the go at any one time, and may have a phone that buzzes and pings continuously as they are in constant communication with others. Narcissists are often avid users of social media, a constant source of narcissistic supply. They curate their posts to present an image to the world that will get maximum numbers of likes, heart emojis and comments, all of which boosts their fragile sense of self.

‘Me time’, ‘alone time’ and ‘screen free time’ are not concepts that narcissists subscribe to. They descend into gloom and depression, or severe restlessness if forced into these situations, and may turn to drugs, alcohol or other addictive behaviours to distract them.

They may insist on their primary source of supply not having any time away from them, for example. I recall a narcissist who insisted that his wife spend hours sitting next to him in the evenings watching TV, even though she was not remotely interested in the programmes he chose, because he needed her there for her supply.

It is also characteristic of narcissists to go straight from one romantic relationship into another, or to overlap them. Because of their lack of emotional depth, they do not need to grieve or heal from breakups, and they will use the breakdown of their relationship to garner sympathy from their next target, who they may have lined up months in advance.