Shahida Arabi

Love-bombing – the excessive praise and flattery a predatory partner showers on their prey – might as well be crack cocaine. It is a common manipulation tactic used by cults to control their members – and in a relationship with a narcissist, you become a one-man cult.

The female malignant narcissist is not just vain and self-absorbed. She is also a covert bully who ensnares fellow female friends, relationship partners and family members into her toxic web.

Agency, independence and the ability to thrive on your own terms is very threatening to a toxic individual. Toxic people require that their victims be isolated – success, economic empowerment and a solid support network all threaten this, so they feel they have to take back the reins on the parts of your life that grant you a sense of stability and self-actualization.

It’s wonderful to embrace each other’s flaws in a relationship, but there’s a difference between tolerating inevitable differences and tolerating toxicity. The former can strengthen an existing bond, while the latter leads to self-destruction.

You’re no longer part of the narcissist’s captive audience, waiting to be “chosen.” You’ve chosen yourself instead.

Anyone can be a target for an emotional predator – simply being human makes you vulnerable to these toxic types. That being said, it is important to acknowledge the traits that a narcissist looks for in a target so that victims can better protect themselves and cut ties earlier on, especially when they become aware that they’re being exploited.

The most ignorant members of society call this type of woman “damaged.” But she is the most powerful type of woman there is. The so-called “damaged” woman doesn’t sign up for the hardships of her journey – but she plays the hell out of the cards she’s been dealt.

Full-fledged psychopaths appear to be rarer than your garden-variety narcissist, but there are narcissists who possess psychopathic traits.  These are what we would call “almost psychopaths,” those who may blend more easily into society, but still chronically violate the rights of others.