People who suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) believe that they are superior and special.
They have an inflated sense of self-importance and believe that they are entitled to special treatment. In the eyes of a narcissist, everybody else is inferior. Joe Navarro M.A. explains that narcissists have delusions of infallibility and therefore, they believe that they are always right while everybody else is wrong. Naturally, this means that they never apologize for their mistakes simply because they do not think that they are capable of having flaws and making errors. In addition to this, narcissists lack empathy and are incapable of feeling compassion for others. As a result, they tend to use manipulation tactics to deceive and use the people around them.
Despite their delusions of infallibility, the narcissist will inevitably fail eventually.
When faced with the harsh reality that they are not as flawless as they believe, the narcissist will feel threatened and afraid. This fear will make the narcissist even more deceitful and manipulate. The reason for this is that they will try everything they can to convince others that their failure is somebody else’s fault. Navarro gives a detailed account of what one can expect when a narcissist fails as he explains how a narcissist will first deny everything, then try to blame everybody else, and eventually portray themselves as a victim.
First, they will claim that there is no problem.
When their errors are initially pointed out, they will pretend as though the allegations are meaningless. They will call them rumors and insist that everything is fine. The narcissist will seem untouchable and indifferent as they are confident in their infallibility. Moreover, if evidence comes to light and proves their errors, the narcissist will reject it. You might hear them claim that things have been faked, photoshopped or edited. The narcissist will come up with all types of lies and excuses in order to manipulate the people around them. Moreover, they will claim that solid evidence is the result of nothing more than jealousy and opposition.
Then, they will find somebody or something they can blame.
If it becomes evident that there is no way to deny the mistake, they will find a way to ensure that the mistake is perceived as somebody else’s fault. Due to their lack of empathy, the narcissist will be ruthless when putting the blame on someone else. They will not care if the person is their coworker, their friend, their spouse, or even their child. To a narcissist, the most important thing is to deny their involvement and to never take responsibility for the failure.
Their lies and abusive tendencies will be harsher than ever.
Narcissists are deceitful and manipulative even when their reputation is not being threatened. As you may expect, when their superiority and sense of importance is threatened, the lies and abuse will increase drastically. They will stop at nothing to ensure that they appear innocent and superior. This means that they will be ruthless in the way that they blame the person they choose.
Finally, they will present themselves as the victims.
If they fail in successfully putting the blame on somebody else and they face punishment, arrest, etc., they will still deny responsibility. Now, they will incessantly complain about the way they have been treated and the pain which they experience. As they fail to escape the consequences of their mistakes, they will wallow in victimhood and explain how they have been framed or unjustly persecuted.