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Short read.
Narcissistic Reactive Abuse.
Gaslighting, stonewalling, and the scapegoat gameplay.
Clinical and non-clinical narcissists use gaslighting, stonewalling, and scapegoating to initiate reactive abuse — causing emotional reactions to avoid responsibility and shift the blame to the victim.
- Narcissists will gaslight you, which is pretending something that happened didn’t happen, or the other way around.
For example, the narcissist might say something and completely deny it seconds later, acting like you’re the crazy one for “imagining things”. Another form of gaslighting is playing dumb where the narcissist pretends not to understand what you’re saying to get a reaction.
The narcissist does not care about your explanation, they just need you to explain yourself so you’re stuck in their game.
2. Narcissists stonewall or use the silent treatment, face and body gestures, and direct refusal to engage in communication to cause a reaction.
