18/11/2025
People Pleasers, Narcissists, And Empaths.
If we didn’t have people pleasers and empaths, where would the narcissists go? Would they turn on each other? (Movies like Wolf of Wall Street come to mind. They join forces until it all goes sour!)
I’ve just come away from a training in spotting narcissistic behaviours and supporting empaths with recovery from narcissistic abuse.
Typically, a narcissist will target an empath. Often the empath is well liked, accomplished, and kind.
The narcissist will look to derail their victim to elevate their own status and feed off the control that they exert. They will aim to dominate and discredit the empath, who is often a people pleaser too, and is trying to keep the peace and appease the narcissist.
A narcissist will often be quite public about their criticisms of the empath in an attempt to gain greater control and isolate the empath, thus reducing their resources and ability to make sense of the situation or fight back.
Often, my clients who are victims of narcissistic abuse, are looking to escape or recover from a domestic situation that has floored them.
I haven’t been looking at the narcissists at work. But there they are, in plain sight, claiming credit for your work, gaslighting, undermining, and subtly bullying.
Fundamentally, we can’t assume to be able to change a narcissist, but we can rebuild the confidence, clarity, and self-esteem of a victim. We can help the empath or people-pleaser to recover their voice and sense of self, and we can undo the effects of (often years of) gaslighting.
I have worked with a few narcissists too. Perhaps that’s for another post when I’m feeling a bit bolder! They don’t often seek therapy. They rarely believe there is anything wrong in their behaviour and certainly don’t like being called out! It can help if a narcissist seeks therapy, but first they have to acknowledge that they might have a problem.
It’s not an easy subject to discuss if you’ve been a victim of narcissistic abuse either at work or at home, but knowing that there is help available, people who understand, and specific tools to help you to recover, can ease the burden and shine a light on your future.