How my narcissists craved attention

Note 2016: This post was originally my impressions of a blog post on the House of Mirrors site which described the narcissist need for attention.  I no longer endorse that site in any way and do not want to drive traffic to it, so instead I give you just my impressions.  Update 2021: Apparently the site hasn’t been around for a few years now anyway.

First the site spoke of the following traits:

There was Richard’s name-dropping.  And it seemed like no matter who it was, or what it was, he had done it, or knew them, and had amazing stories to tell.  He had inside information on everything.  It made you wonder, is it really possible for one person of only 34 years old to have done so much and known so many people?

Then a comment that you can idolize a narcissist.  And that if a normally sweet, easy-going person hates one particular person’s guts, you have to take note that there may be good reason:

I used to idolize Richard, until his mask began slipping now and then.  And I never did like Tracy, felt forced to be friends with her because she had to approve Richard’s friends.  Now I hate her because of all the crap she put me through.

And I’m beginning to feel the same way about Richard as it becomes ever more confirmed in my own mind that he is indeed a narc, putting pride above friendship, and being every bit as ego-driven as he used to try to tell me he was.

Then there was the narcissist’s tendency to be easily offended, and to do what they can to annoy you more after you ask them to stop doing something:

They got extremely offended (to the point of no longer wanting to go to my church) because other parishioners suggested they take their kids to the play area downstairs when they got too loud.  And Richard told me once that he would encourage the youngest one, who was about 1 or 2, to make more noise if people got annoyed.

Over the many years I’ve gone to church, most of the time, when kids are noisy, their parents try to quiet them, or take them out of the sanctuary until they calm down: They are too embarrassed and considerate of others to wish to encourage the child’s noise.  So you can, in turn, be empathetic of the parents.

This was the first time I ever encountered someone in church with the attitude of, My kids are noisy, and if you don’t like it, you can suck it.

This same attitude has played out with these narcs, when they discovered I did not want them around, forcing themselves on my attention; when they discovered I did not want them on my blog, reading it all the time; when told not to contact me, sending me a threat- and taunt-laden e-mail.

Then there were comments about smear campaigns for imagined slights, craving attention, playing the victim, and sending flying monkeys:

This, Tracy’s tendency to smear people for imagined slights (not just me), and their threat to sue also matches a symptom of craving attention.

As for playing the victim and gathering flying monkeys: This applies to Tracy gathering flying monkeys to attack Todd on an Internet game for an imagined slight, and Richard telling me horrible things about Todd as well….

And to them finding a flying monkey to spy on my Facebook and, apparently, attack me through that monkey’s Facebook profile, which passive-aggressively and indirectly attacked me, this from a girl who did not even know me….

And to them trying to turn my own priest against me as well.