Have you ever experienced the painful narcissist silent treatment?
This form of abuse is often used by narcissists to punish and control their victims.
But what exactly is the silent treatment, and how can you protect yourself from it?
In this article, we’ll explore the dynamics of the narcissist’s silent treatment and provide tips on handling this toxic behavior.
Narcissists are self-absorbed and tend to be selfish and manipulative.
If you have a narcissist in your life, chances are you’ve experienced their silent treatment at one point or another. It is a form of manipulation and an abuse tactic that they use to punish others for perceived infractions.
It can be incredibly frustrating—and even painful—to experience the silent treatment from someone you care about so deeply.
Still, it’s important to remember that they’re doing this out of their own need for power over another person.
Why do narcissists go silent?
- The narcissist is punishing you. Narcissists like to punish those who have wronged them or make them feel bad about themselves. This often happens when someone has rejected the narcissist’s advances, hurt their feelings, or said something they don’t want to hear. For example:
- If you rejected their advances, this could be as simple as a look or an awkward moment between you that makes your rejection obvious without actually saying “no” directly to the narcissist’s face.
- Or perhaps they found out through social media that you were hanging out with someone else before going on a date with them and felt jealous because they didn’t want anyone else getting in their way of having a relationship with such an attractive person like yourself!
- In any case, being punished by the silent treatment will only make things worse for both parties involved. One may feel guilty after realizing how much damage they caused another human being (I’m looking at myself here).
Is Silent Treatment Manipulation?
It’s not unusual for narcissists to use silence to control you, get what they want, and make you feel bad about yourself. They may use it to punish you or make passive-aggressive comments through their silence.
If your partner is constantly silent when upset with you, they’re trying to get something out of the situation. They’ll also try to ensure that when they speak again, it will be when the time is right – which could mean hours later or even days after the incident. This can leave both parties feeling confused and frustrated because they don’t know where they stand with each other.
Why is the silent treatment so effective for a narcissist?
The silent treatment is one of the most damaging forms of abuse because it spreads fear and doubt. It’s difficult to defend oneself against an attack that can come from nowhere, leaving you scrambling for answers when your partner pulls away or doesn’t answer your texts or calls.
The narcissist will often use the silent treatment to punish you for perceived infractions and then make up for it later by showering you with attention to prove their love (the classic “I was wrong, but I still love you!”).
The silent treatment works because it makes us question ourselves: Did I do something wrong? Should I have checked my phone more often? Am I too needy? Am I annoying people around me? The narcissist knows this tactic works—and they use it repeatedly until we begin to question our sanity rather than theirs.
How long do they stay silent?
The narcissist’s silent treatment is a form of abuse. It can happen suddenly, or it can be something they use to get what they want out of you when angry.
They may feel that meeting their needs is more important than yours and will keep quiet until you start doing what they want. The narcissist might also use this as punishment to ensure you know who’s in charge of the relationship.
This form of abuse can go on for hours, days, weeks, or months at a time and often goes undiscussed by both parties involved because there’s no way for them to resolve their differences until the narcissist decides it’s over (which could never be).
What happens when you ignore it?
While silent treatment can be a form of abuse, it is one that many people are familiar with. Silent treatment is a passive-aggressive behavior in which one person refuses to speak—or responds minimally—to another person out of anger or frustration. This behavior is often used as an attempt at retaliation when someone feels wronged by another person. Still, this “punishment” rarely works because it only further hurts the relationship between two individuals.
If you’re experiencing chronic silent treatment from your narcissistic partner, you may have already learned that this kind of behavior is not typical in any relationship—even abusive ones! That’s right: Narcissists don’t play fair when they’re mad at you, either!
You are giving the silent treatment.
Silent treatment is a form of abuse, not a healthy communication method. It’s one of the narcissistic abuser’s favorite ways to control you. You might be tempted to think that the narcissist who cuts off all communication with you must be feeling so much pain that they cannot bear it, but remember: Narcissists don’t feel pain like we do.
The silent treatment is usually an attempt by the narcissist to punish you for something perceived as an infraction on your part—even if it has nothing to do with them at all! For example, maybe your mother-in-law forgot her birthday once…and now freezes you out every time she sees you! Or perhaps someone told her they thought her hair looked a little thin lately…and now she refuses to talk about anything else! The list goes on and on—the narcissist will find any excuse (no matter how minor) if it allows them some control over their victim via emotional manipulation tactics such as this.
How to deal with a narcissist’s silent treatment?
When dealing with a narcissist who is silent-treatment you, it’s important to remember that it’s not your fault. They are manipulative and abusive and use their behavior to get what they want from others. You can’t control how or when the narcissist acts this way—but you can control how YOU react.
Here are some tips for handling a narcissistic silent treatment:
- Don’t allow yourself to be manipulated by the narcissist! Don’t let them get away with their behavior just because they’re being quiet about it and withholding attention from you at that moment in time. Remember: The narcissist will try to manipulate you into doing something for them, even if it seems like they are just sitting there doing nothing—and don’t let yourself fall for it! If something specific needs doing around the house (like cleaning up after them), then do those things yourself instead of waiting around hoping someone else will do them. At the same time, they sit there silently judging everyone else around them instead of working together as a team towards common goals like family life should be about rather.”
The silent treatment from a narcissist is a form of abuse designed to punish you for your perceived infractions.
The silent treatment from a narcissist is a form of abuse designed to punish you for your perceived infractions. Narcissists use the silent treatment to punish you for your perceived crimes, often to make them feel better about yourself or your behavior. It is common for narcissists to use emotional manipulation methods like silent treatment to get what they want out of situations without having to deal with anything uncomfortable (like apologizing or admitting fault). The silent treatment’s goal is not to make you feel guilty but rather to make you feel bad enough that you will do whatever it takes for them not to be angry at you anymore.
Final Thoughts
Narcissist silent treatment is a form of abuse that can be very painful. But it’s important to remember that it’s not about you—it’s about the narcissist.
Narcissists are deeply insecure people who have difficulty coping with criticism and rejection, so they often turn away from their partners when things go wrong to protect themselves from feeling bad about themselves.
Unfortunately, this only exacerbates the problem because it gives them even less time for self-reflection or empathy toward others.
