Are Narcissists Afraid of Empaths? (If Yes! Why?)

by Ella Carrillo · February 20, 2023

Are Narcissists afraid of Empaths? What is an Empath? How do they create an impact on narcissists to intimidate them? Can a narcissist victimize empaths? Can empaths be victims of narcissistic manipulation? Let us see this through further in this article.

What is an Empath?

In simple words, individuals who are capable of possessing, conveying, and exhibiting empathy in a copious amount than an average person can be tagged as empaths. Empathy is simply a fascinating emotion that gives a person the superpowers to understand, care and think for others even before their own needs. Empaths naturally possess selflessness which makes them cherished by almost everyone around them.

An Empath or an empathic person is someone who is capable of feeling empathy, having a lot of empathy for others, and are highly emotionally sensitive too. Empaths also make sure not to hurt someone by their behavior and they do not cause any discomfort to others by their feelings.

Empaths are individuals who are highly sensitive to the feelings of others around them. Empaths can connect with other people’s emotions on a deeper level and can sometimes be overly attached to them. Some people view empaths in a bright light with a halo around their head as empaths are amazing people to have around you to have a chat with when you are depressed, or have a lot going on in life and also get appropriate advice as empaths can reciprocate pain on a deeper level. They have the ability to soak in all emotions that you project onto them and process, refine and reciprocate those emotions with comfort words as what you need in tough times.

One can say that Empaths have a superpower, but this may also lead to some people viewing them in a negative light as they might be jealous of empaths. Jealsouy because empaths are people who are liked by almost everyone. But sometimes empathy can also put the person in a place where they too might get tired of receiving, perceiving, and dealing with so much emotional trauma. Sometimes being an empath may be burdensome for your own self and also it can pull down your emotional well-being and psychological health.

How do you know if you are an Empath?

There are a few signs that may indicate that you are an empath or an empathic person like,

You have the ability to feel other people’s pain and reciprocate with care and understanding in a more significant amount than others.
You have extraordinary amounts of empathy for others despite their nature.
Your intuition levels are spot on.
You do not like it and can do well in crowded places.
You become a people magnet as they tend to tell you their problems and it seems you enjoy that naturally.
You cannot just “NOT CARE”.
Nature is your go-to comfort place.
You are highly sensitive to sounds, sensations, feelings, emotions, and smells.
It would help if you had an emotional detox and a recharge for soaking up all those emotions that you receive and deal with.
You like to stay away from conflicts, fights, and something that can be stressful.
You often feel you do not fit well in the social setups.
You choose isolation over overcrowdedness.
You cannot easily set boundaries and deny something that you do not like smoothly.
It is tough for you to say “NO”.

Is it good to be an Empath? – What are the upsides of being an Empath?

It is good to be an empath because this way you can care for others, be helpful to them and understand them better. It is an amazing trait to have empathy but being an empath comes with a whole lot of difficulties in itself. Blessings, happiness, smiles, and contentment would constantly be coming your way being an Empath.

What are the downsides of being an Empath?

Empaths deal with a lot of emotions which can take a toll on their emotional well-being and mental health.
Being always emotionally available for others can make an empath suffer.
Empaths can get emotionally exhausted as they might be dealing with too many positive and negative emotions.
When an empath comes across someone with less empathy or less understanding or fewer feelings and emotions as compared to them, even then an empath can get affected which can make them restless.

What is a Narcissist?

A Narcissist is an individual who is often defined as a difficult individual, very difficult to live with, and tough to endure. A Narcissist is an individual who is excessively obsessed to have control, also they expect everyone around them to focus just on them.

They intend to be the center of attraction in all situations. They should be the elephant in the room all the time, are control freaks, are sly, mean, selfish, and much more. Most importantly Narcissists lack empathy on many occasions until it affects them. Narcissists do know empathy, but they never tend to caring, understanding, and easygoing for others as they think vulnerability and being soft to others are negative traits that can be used against them.

A narcissist is capable of feeling all emotions, it is just that they d not acknowledge them and express them due to their vulnerabilities. They fear expressing emotions can make them emotionally weak and vulnerable to their partner. They fear that once they surrender to their feelings they might lose control. Narcissists are incapable of understanding and exchanging feelings with others. They are self-obsessed and self-absorbed. They can not think from anyone else’s viewpoint.

There are some weird traits too when you associate with a narcissist. This should not come to you as a shock as being with a narcissist would bring lots of surprises, shocks, and regrets to you. So let us move further and know about some of the other strange and surprising things that a narcissist can, may, or would do. They come with many questionable demands, weird and strange behavior, and some acts that may be a little difficult for you to forget.

You are always the wrongdoer and not them in their eyes
Narcissists lack sensitivity and empathy.
They are selfish and inconsiderate
They always see the negatives first
They are almost incapable of praising others or giving enough credit to others
They act over dramatically over trivial matters
There is no winning against them in an argument
They are highly competitive even with someone who is incomparable
They cheat innumerable
Have unhealthy relationships.
Have regular mood swings.
Have uncommon expectations and unusual fantasies
They use bygone grudges as their trump card
They use manipulation in all situations where they feel they are losing the grip
They never provide straight answers

Are Narcissists Afraid of Empaths? (If Yes! Why?)

Narcissists and Empaths have an intriguing relationship because narcissists are individuals with a lot of internal conflicts, and imbalance and lack that emotional bonding that is required to live effortlessly and happily; while empaths are able to notice those turmoils that go into narcissist’s minds and lives, and all they do is understand, deal, heal, get hurt but comfort the narcissist.

There are many times, when Narcissists and empaths are attracted to each other because a narcissist craves supply in the form of care, validation, emotional support, and dependency, receiving help in matters, and healing; while an empath just serves them right by providing all that in one platter. Empaths just serve all that a narcissist craves and gets manipulated, played, hurt, and in almost all cases end up being used.

An emotionally well, strong-hearted empath who knows their superpower thoroughly would often call out the narcissists. They are not afraid to deal with a narcissist. On the other hand, narcissist views the empath as an easygoing target and someone whom they can effortlessly victimize. Little do they know, that empaths hold a great superpower and are naturally gifted can easily look right through the narcissist, and is aware of what all goes on in a narcissist’s mind. This situation can definitely make the narcissist scared of the empath, as empaths possess the ability to disclose and destroy the narcissists’ real egoistic and false selves.

Why would the Narcissist fear an Empath?

Empaths are individuals who are highly sensitive to the feelings of others around them and have a great sense of compassion for those who are hurt emotionally. When an empath comes across a narcissist in need, they would end up giving their focus, energy, and all the possible attention to the narcissist. This is what a narcissist craves and thus they get easily attracted to and distracted by an empath.

Being attracted to the empath, a Narcissist still fears the empath on some levels as the empath is not focusing on the same needs as them. The empath is constantly trying to heal the narcissist and when the narcissist becomes aware of this, they start fearing the empath as empaths know all about the narcissist’s negative side and can see right through them.

Narcissists constantly fear that the empath might disclose their real egotistic self, tear down that false image that they have created and disarm them with their healing. Thus narcissists fear an empath and the empaths have an upper hand in such situations.

Do empaths hold the ability to destroy the Narcissist?

An empath is able to view the Narcissist’s dark side without much effort and is also able to confront the narcissist about this. The empath holds the ability to call out the manipulative behavior of the narcissist and they also do the same for the narcissist’s sake so that they can heal from the abusive character.

On the other hand, a narcissist hates confrontation. Narcissists run away from the truth and they do not like being told about reality. Narcissists are not good while dealing with truth, feelings, vulnerabilities, and confrontations. Confrontations may arouse their wrath and they might make a scene. They would be loud and volatile about being confronted. And when a narcissist receives or fears confrontation, all they do is discard the potential attacker, which is the empath here, who has hurt their ego, pride, and esteem and most importantly is able to shatter their shiny high-end image.

When you confront a narcissist, they would use some abusive vocabulary that can hurt you emotionally, leave emotional scars for a long time you, and make you feel guilty for what you said. They will be saying such things which you might not be willing to hear. They would call you names, would be mean, and try to make you feel regretful so that you can take back your confrontation or just feel bad for saying such things about them.

But an empath stays unharmed mentally and physically as they simply absorb what a narcissist throws at them verbally. Empaths are able to do so due to their superpower; the natural gift to understand and heal others. Instead, the empath would give is healing and an opportunity for the narcissist to be a better person, which completely scares the narcissist and makes them repel the empath.

Can an Empath get tangled with a toxic narcissist?

If the empath is not emotionally well or stable and is not a strong-hearted individual who is unaware of how to utilize and apply their superpower thoroughly, then such empaths might suffer a little at the cost of healing the narcissist. They can even become an easy target for the narcissist and might get tortured and tangled a bit with the narcissist’s manipulative tricks and tactics.

How can an Empath protect themself from the toxic narcissist?

There are a few simple ways in which an empath can keep their mental health unaffected or less harmed by the narcissist’s manipulative tactics,

Disconnecting from the narcissistic trauma from time to time

Disconnecting from the narcissistic trauma from time to time can ensure your mental peace. Letting go of hurtful and unwanted trauma, comments, moments, and life experiences can be a great relief for healing.

Knowing more about Narcissism

Knowing more about Narcissism can help you understand your NPD individuals or anybody with NPD(Narcissistic Personality Disorder) better. This is the best and utmost way to cope with a narcissistic person. You can also know ways and tricks to handle a narcissist more efficiently.

Setting firm boundaries

Setting firm boundaries might initially upset the narcissist, but with time this would ensure your mental peace, individuality, privacy, and worth. Be less accessible to them and focus on healing them.

Conclusion

An emotionally well, strong-hearted empath who knows their superpower thoroughly would often call out the narcissists. They are not afraid to deal with a narcissist. On the other hand, narcissist views the empath as an easygoing target and someone whom they can effortlessly victimize. Little do they know, that empaths hold a great superpower and are naturally gifted can easily look right through the narcissist, and is aware of what all goes on in a narcissist’s mind. This situation can definitely make the narcissist scared of the empath, as empaths possess the ability to disclose and destroy the narcissists’ real egoistic and false selves.

Being attracted to the empath, a Narcissist still fears the empath on some levels as the empath is not focusing on the same needs as them. The empath is constantly trying to heal the narcist and when the narcissist becomes aware of this, they start fearing the empath as empaths know all about the narcissist’s negative side and can see right through them.

An empath stays unharmed mentally and physically as they simply absorb what a narcissist throws at them verbally. Empaths are able to do so due to their superpower; the natural gift to understand and heal others. Instead, the empath would give is healing and an opportunity for the narcissist to be a better person, which completely scares the narcissist and makes them repel the empath.

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Ella Carrillo

Hey Reader, I am Ella, an Online and Offline Therapist holding an experience of 6 years in this field.

From Relationship, Depression, and Personality Disorder to Narcissistic problems, I have helped a lot of people find their solutions. Upon gathering a number of common problems that people face, I decided to put the information on this blog so that anyone can get their answers easily.

Are Narcissists Afraid of Empaths? (If Yes! Why?)