In their personal life, for example, a narcissist may mess up in taking care of their children. They pretend to be the greatest parent ever, but when it comes to the basics—helping their child with a project, assisting with activities, or ensuring proper meals and hygiene—they fail miserably because they are not interested in doing any of it.
You might ask, “Then why do they fight for custody?” For them, it’s a competition—a battle they must win to control you and to deal you an emotional injury.
Let’s take another example: a narcissist working in a company as the head of a department. If their responsibility is to oversee operations and they mess up, the company might face major losses. When everything points to their mistakes, they deny accountability.
Another example is a narcissistic parent raging at their child, saying the most horrible things. They inadvertently expose their true nature. This is something they never wanted to happen, but now they are undeniably exposed.
In these situations, almost all narcissists behave similarly.
