8. Surviving a Person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder

The intricacies of what it takes to be an NPD are not lost
on them, or on the rare few who decipher them and break
away from their pull. Whereas the majority of the world thinks
of abusers as angry, violent, out-of-control sorts who beat
women and smash up bars, the NPD is the ultimate in cool
collectedness. They are the original 'wolf-in-sheep's clothing.'

By taking the time to  study and smooth their way into
people's lives with finesse and subterfuge, they actually add
to their own sense of self and their prowess. They are proud
of  the quiet, unassuming, surreptitious path they took to
get to the chicken coop.

The long, slow, lure is part of the game for the NPD, further
promoting that they are the self-professed Master and all others
are unable to keep up. Drawing people into their web of deceit,
laughing at how easily they can manipulate others, it's all part of
the game and the appeal for an NPD.

We used to warn children of obviously weird strangers as being
a source of concern, as opposed to warning them of kindly uncles
and parents who say "I love you" when they abuse. In the same way,
our warped perception as to what constitutes a cruel person is
very much at play when we refuse to see NPDs as a concern.
How could this upstanding, smiling, godly, generous, family man
be guilty of something insidious? That conflict is precisely what the
NPD depends on to run their con.