When a narcissist is alone, social media tends to be their best way to hunt down supply. They may spend time on their social media platforms for self-promotion, seeking validation, compliments, and praise. They may frequently post content that highlights their accomplishments, material possessions, anything to affirm their self-worth and make sure that people are seeing them and thinking of them in the light that they want to be seen. They typically send messages to people, either people that they know or people that they don’t know; it doesn’t really matter. They may be flirtatious, try to love bomb; they’re probably fishing for compliments but definitely for attention. They may leave a comment on someone’s post with the goal of either getting admiration, drawing attention to themselves, or even just to create some chaos or drama. So, they might insult someone or put them down; they might start arguing with strangers on social media to validate their beliefs and boost their ego, and also to assert power and a sense of control. At the end of the day, all of their social media activities serve the same purpose, and that is to gain narcissistic supply. Sadly, for the narcissist, social media tends to be a double-edged sword, often fueling their insecurities as they can get very envious when they see other people showcasing their perfect lives.
Plan & Scheme:
When alone, narcissists may meticulously plan and scheme ways to manipulate others to maintain control and uphold their image of superiority. They may strategize ways to exploit vulnerabilities in their relationships, to get sympathy or empathy from others, or to plan revenge on other people who they perceive have harmed them in some way. Planning and scheming allow them to orchestrate situations that fulfill their need for attention, admiration, validation, power, and control, often at the expense of other people’s well-being. For example, let’s say a narcissist is invited to a party where they want to make a big impression. They might spend a ton of time beforehand planning their entrance, planning their interactions to ensure that they stand out and receive a lot of attention and admiration. They will meticulously plan how to craft their image, so this might include things like planning their outfit, their makeup, their accessories, changing a hundred times before going. They will strategize and plan conversations so that they can appear more intelligent, witty, and successful. They may scheme or begin planning potential ways to create drama, chaos, conflict, and excitement, and ways to stay the center of attention, whether this is by telling extravagant stories or engaging in other types of attention-seeking behavior. They may also anticipate potential challenges to their dominance or their spotlight and strategize subtle ways to undermine or discredit other people through dismissive remarks, passive-aggressive behavior. Really, it’s all about getting maximum amounts of supply, and if any part of their plan fails, they may get extremely upset as they may feel crushed by a sense of shame, and this can cause them to behave in impulsive and erratic ways, and often in abusive and rageful ways.
Ruminating:
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