Introduction
Narcissism is a personal ailment that influences ladies and men. However, woman narcissists often cross undetected because of their covert nature. While male narcissists have a tendency to be extra overt in their narcissistic developments and behaviors, female narcissists are much more sly and covert. They cover behind a mask of perceived vulnerability and skillfully manipulate conditions to avoid taking duty for their actions.
This lets them fly below the radar for long durations of time earlier than their actual narcissistic colorations show. It may be hard to pick out a covert female narcissist and distinguish her narcissism from ordinary human flaws and weaknesses that all of us own. However, there are some telltale symptoms you may look out for. In this text, we can delve deeper into the 7 signs and symptoms of the covert woman narcissist.
Table: Key Facts About Female Narcissism
- Approximately 1% of the overall population suffers from narcissistic personality ailment (NPD). However, studies display that the charge may be better among women.
- Female narcissists are anticipated to account for 20-30% of all narcissists.
- Covert narcissism is greater common among girls than overt narcissism visible in adult males.
- Female narcissists engage in much less bodily/verbal aggression than men but use extra manipulation and deception and play the sufferer function.
- They are fascinating and charismatic before everything; however, they become controlling and competitive when their ego is threatened.
- Relationships with female narcissists are more emotionally draining due to consistent gaslighting, guilt-tripping, and manipulation behind a mask of vulnerability.
- Detecting a girl covert narcissist can be difficult as they hide their toxic tendencies and blame others for his or her dysfunctional behaviors.
Sign 1 – An Exaggerated Sense of Self-Importance
All narcissists have an inflated ego and feel of self-significance. However, woman covert narcissists are masters at subtle self-promoting. They discover sophisticated approaches to carry attention to themselves and make every communique come what may approximately them. Some ways they exhibit an exaggerated experience of self consist of:
- The constant need for admiration and praise from others
- Name-dropping of important people, they know to appear as prestigious
- The belief that ordinary people cannot understand them or their “gifts”
- Excessive vanity – taking dozens of selfies and meticulously curating social media image
- Micromanaging social events and conversations to steer focus onto themselves
While overt male narcissists engage in blatant boasting, female covert narcissists satisfy their hunger for adulation in more artful means through charm and emotional manipulation. So their inflated ego may not be immediately obvious.
Sign 2 – Entitlement and Expectation of Special Treatment
All narcissists have a strong underlying belief that they deserve special treatment from others compared to ordinary people. The female covert narcissist is no different. She expects privileges, favors, and indulgence simply because of who she believes she is. Some ways she exhibits her feelings of entitlement include:
- Constantly seeking validation of her opinions and never being wrong
- Making excessive demands on family, friends, and partners for attention and catering
- Having a victim mentality – expecting to be rescued or pampered when facing hardships
- Viewing acts of basic courtesy and respect from others as something she is owed
- Becoming enraged at perceived slights or insults, however unintentional
- Entitlement creates distrust – she doubts others’ intentions and motives are never quite pure
While overtly demanding special treatment may hurt her image, she passive-aggressively maneuvers situations to feel entitled through guilt-tripping and manipulation instead of direct demands.
Sign 3 – Exploitation of Others
The covert female narcissist has little regard or empathy for other people’s feelings and uses them primarily as a means to her own selfish ends. Some ways she exploits others include:
- Emotional manipulation – making others feel guilty to get her way
- Playing the victim role to get nurturance and rescue from empathetic people
- Taking credit for others’ achievements and ideas as her own
- Romantic partners are seen as accessories to gain supply, not as equals
- Borrowing money or asking for favors with no intention of paying back
- Sabotaging others’ success that threatens to outshine her own accomplishments
While openly bragging over her conquests may damage relationships, she slyly extracts narcissistic supply through subtle means like covert put-downs that maintain a faux image of caring deeply.
Sign 4 – Envy of Others or Believe Others Are Envious of Them
All narcissists harbor deep-rooted insecurity and envy that they hide behind their ego shield. Covert female narcissists are no exception. Some ways they express their envy include:
- Believing they are inherently more deserving and others hold them back unfairly
- Negative reactions and petty put-downs of people perceived as more successful or attractive
- Constant social comparisons on superficial qualities like appearance or possessions
- Assumes others covertly envy her and the likelihood of imagining slights where none exist
- Expressing faux sympathy to fish for compliments and reinforce how superior she thinks she is
- Becomes threatened and reacts jealously even to insignificant achievements of loved ones
While envy may steal their joy, they deflect inward reflection through a gamut of tactics from faux humility to passive aggression, ensuring their ego remains intact to the unsuspecting world.
Sign #5 – Lack of Empathy
A hallmark trait of all narcissists is an impaired ability to step into another’s shoes or appreciate how their actions impact others. The female covert narcissist is no different. She shows a lack of care, understanding, or sympathy for others. Some signs include:
- Blaming others but refusing to accept responsibility when at fault herself
- Making everything about one’s own feelings instead of being supportive
- Lacking warmth or sincerity even in supposed acts of care like gift-giving
- Unconcerned about the long-term effects of their behavior, and swiftly move on
- Believes refusing to enable victim mentality = lack of empathy
While her mask appears warm, caring, and empathetic on the surface, underneath, she is often cold, self-serving, and devoid of genuine compassion. Her image and ego always come first.
Sign 6 – Arrogance and Haughty Behaviors
All narcissists maintain an underlying haughtiness towards others they perceive as inferior. The female covert narcissist expresses arrogance in inconspicuous ways through:
- Subtle put-downs and passive aggression to undermine and control
- Sly insults disguised as “jokes” and humor to subtly assert dominance
- Patronizing tones when giving unwanted advice to feel important
- Taking pleasure in provoking and gaslighting others into self-doubt
- Holding grudges and refusing to acknowledge or apologize for wrongs
- Expecting prompt response and attention from others at all hours
While her charming veneer downplays arrogance, underneath, she expresses condescension for those lacking her perceived exceptional qualities.
Sign 7 – Hiding Behind a Mask
The most insidious trait of covert narcissism is erecting a convincing facade to throw others off one’s toxic tracks. The female covert narcissist is a virtuoso at maintaining masks to avoid responsibility and accountability for her true self. Some masks she hides behind include:
- Pretending humility when seeking compliments and fawning attention
- Faux victimhood to bind empathetic people for inconsistent lazy self-care
- Enacting vulnerability to elicit nurturance while subtly tearing others down
- Projecting parenting onto partners to avoid criticism and gain unconditional care
- Manipulative crying or hysterics to divert blame when confronted
- Claiming mental health issues to excuse bad behaviors as beyond her control
Masterful at hiding her narcissism in plain sight, the depths of her manipulation are impossible to unmask without prolonged experience of her dysfunction. By then, the damage is done.
Conclusion
While overt male narcissism is more conspicuous, female covert narcissism can go undetected for longer due its subtle nature. Learning to spot the 7 signs, from inflated ego to lack of empathy, can help one gauge if they are dealing with someone exhibiting narcissistic traits. However, self-reflection is also needed to avoid projecting flaws onto others. Overall, prioritizing healthy boundaries and disconnecting supply lines is key to disengaging from toxic narcissists of any gender.