Narcissists love attention, validation, and power. So what drives narcissists crazy?

Simply put, anything that compromises their basic need for superiority can quickly set them off.

If you want to know how to piss off a narcissist, look no further than not giving them anything.

But you can also stand up for yourself, set boundaries, and reject manipulation strategies. Let’s dive into how to piss off a narcissist.

1. Compliment someone else or something else

Did you see the way he did last night? It was great!

She’s a very good wife. He’s lucky to have her.

They did a great job decorating their home. I love it.

How do you make narcissists feel bad? Feeling like someone else is better than them. There are very few things that make them feel worse than this feeling of insecurity.

Related : The Narcissist and Money Control

Narcissists can’t understand that others deserve the same appreciation and attention they do. Instead of feeling happy for someone else’s success, they tend to feel confused, jealous, and even contemptuous.

When they hear you compliment someone else, they typically respond by:

Criticizing you or your taste (making it seem like you’re acting crazy).

Trying to take credit for that person’s success.

Ignoring the compliment, as if it doesn’t matter to them.

Trying to outdo their success.

Getting angry and telling you that you should be with that person instead.

Distorting the compliment and blaming the person for lying, stealing, or manipulating.

In other words, narcissists don’t really know how to be happy for someone else. Instead, they’ll search to find a story that fits their own success story.

2. Pursue Your Own Interests

Narcissists assume that they know how to live life best. For example, if they love golf, you’re an idiot if you don’t enjoy the game. If they enjoy a certain restaurant, you lack good taste if you prefer somewhere else.

Pursuing your own interests can easily anger a narcissist, especially when your preferences conflict with theirs. Some major conflicts of interest can include:

Voting differently than them.

Being more or less religious than them.

Spending time with friends they don’t like.

Eating a different diet.

Consuming media (certain movies or music) they don’t enjoy.

To get back at you, they may tease or criticize you for your choices. Or they may try to sabotage you entirely.

Their efforts to belittle you often come from a place of insecurity and fear. Deep down, narcissists are afraid of losing power and anxious about losing you to someone or something else.

3. Ignoring Material Goods

Many narcissists are obsessed with making money and showing it off. Big houses, fancy cars, designer clothes—they want it all, and they want to show it off to everyone in the world.

Often, they substitute love for money. They may also overestimate their worth by trying to prove their love through the amount of things they give you.

If you don’t show much interest, they may feel embarrassed, confused, and annoyed. What do you mean you don’t want this? What’s wrong with you? Anyone would kill to be in your shoes! You don’t even realize how lucky you are.

How to Anger a Narcissist #4. Help Someone Else

It’s no secret that narcissists tend to be extremely selfish. Their huge egos leave little room for caring about others. As a result, they view others as mere pawns or challenges—not as fully-fledged people with complex thoughts and feelings.

If you choose to be generous or compassionate toward someone else, they’re likely to feel angry.

They may insult you with hurtful comments like, Why are you such a martyr?

Or they may try to shut you down completely with statements like, We don’t have money to give to charity right now. You need to focus your attention on our family.

5 Success (and outdoing them)

It’s a misconception that narcissists only want weak-minded people in their lives.

Many narcissists enjoy the company of intelligent, thoughtful people. There’s just one caveat. They still have to be the best. And if they’re not the best, they have to be close to it.

How do you piss off a narcissist? By becoming better than them. If you start to succeed, it becomes very threatening. They don’t quite know how to handle this new reality. Instead of celebrating and being happy for you, they may respond by:

Ignoring your success: It’s no big deal. Anyone could have done it!

Blithely trumping your success: It’s great that you did that. By the way, did you hear about my new promotion at work…?

Accusing you of cheating, lying, stealing, or getting some sort of external advantage: You only got this opportunity because your boss wanted to sleep with you.

Attributing your success to their actions: I’m glad I told you to go after them! If I hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t have even tried.

Blaming You for Their Hurt: You’re just trying to make me look bad, right?

You deserve every ounce of your success. Choosing to embrace it (and even enjoy it!) will only continue to anger them.

6 Validate and Love the Scapegoat

Narcissists see the world in a stark black-or-white sphere. These extremes allow them to either love or hate others—there is no middle ground.

As a result, narcissists use scapegoats to project blame and frustration onto others.

These scapegoats are chosen because of their real or perceived flaws. They become victims of emotional (and sometimes physical) abuse.

Related : 6 Ways To Stop The Narcissistic Cycle of Abuse

But it’s not just the narcissist who wants to blame the scapegoat. They want others to rally against them, too. They want the entire world to see how corrupt the scapegoat really is.

When you challenge this narrative and defend the scapegoat, you’re breaking part of their master plan.

You’re creating friction within the dynamic, and that angers the narcissist. They’re not interested in seeing your point of view, but they also don’t like knowing that you’re not on their team.

7 Be Patient

Patience refers to tolerating pain or discomfort without showing an outward emotional response. In other words, it’s taking things as they come without complaining or reacting.

Let’s face it. Narcissists love to create drama—they live to stir up trouble and cause it.

They expect you to react and even retaliate. While you might think your feelings might upset them, the opposite is true. Not having an emotional response tends to be the most threatening response of all.

This is because narcissists need to know that they control the room. In some way, your anger or sadness shows that they have power over you.

It shows that they can distort your feelings. So when you don’t give them that pleasure, they’re forced to examine their hollow selves.

8 Respect Authority

Have you ever noticed how often narcissists get into trouble in the workplace? This is because they’re not very good at dealing with people, and they definitely don’t know how to follow the rules.

Narcissists tend to hate authority figures, whether it’s their boss, law enforcement officials, politicians, or even their parents. They don’t like it when someone else is in charge unless it’s them.

Furthermore, they expect you to conform to their ideology. They will spend a great deal of time trying to prove to you why the other person is incompetent, unfair, or stupid.

The best way to piss them off? Keep following the rules. Respect authority figures appropriately. Consider thanking authority figures for their hard work and good effort.

If you do this, you can watch the narcissist crumble. This will happen very quickly.

9 Always Maintain Your Boundaries

Narcissists are not stupid. They understand the concept of boundaries, and they realize that everyone has personal boundaries.

But they also believe that they are entitled to whatever they want. So, even though they understand boundaries logically, they consider themselves exempt from the rule.

To them, boundaries are just a suggestion or even a challenge. They will do whatever they can to try to convince you that your boundaries are ridiculous or inappropriate.

The solution to this madness? Enforce your strict boundaries. Every time. No conditions or exceptions. No one-time exceptions.

The more consistent you are with your boundaries, the less power they will have over you and your actions.

And yes, this will piss them off to no end. You’ll see the anger in real time in the way they call you stupid, crazy, or evil. You’ll see it in the way they try to discredit you in front of others or manipulate your reality entirely.

10 Go to Therapy

Just as narcissists hate authority figures, they also tend to resent healthcare professionals.

Narcissists don’t want to be bullied or interfered with. They want to act in their usual ways without any real accountability for their horrific behavior.

If you choose to pursue therapy, the narcissist will feel threatened. They will undoubtedly be concerned about what you’re talking about in your sessions. They may fear that the therapist will side with you or discredit them.

Moreover, narcissists don’t like the idea that someone or something might empower you to think differently.

They want you to be compliant and complicit in their behavior. They know that therapists may try to explore alternative ways to deal with your feelings.

This anger comes in many different forms, including:

Bargaining: You don’t need therapy. You can talk to me. I’ll always listen.

Blaming the therapist: They’re just after your money. They don’t care about you!

Stalking and controlling behaviors: I want to go to the next session with you. If you’re going to talk about your personal feelings with someone, I want to know who it is.

Related : THIS is How to Get Child Custody From a Narcissist

Outright denial of support: I won’t pay for these sessions. You’re on your own.

11 Spending time with new friends

Narcissists want to get to know the people in your life. Mostly, it’s because they want to validate them. Are they people who fit the narcissist’s values? Or are they people who could pose a serious threat?

When you socialize with new people, it activates their insecurities, jealousy, and confusion. They can’t figure out why they’re not good enough for you.

They may respond in a variety of dysfunctional ways, including:

Judging other people before they even meet them: I heard she’s crazy.

Acting like a victim: Do you no longer like hanging out with me? Am I really boring?

Complimenting your old friends: What about so-and-so? They’ve always been supportive. I think you should try to reconnect with them more now.

Trying to charm you again: I know you were planning to have dinner with someone tonight, but I’ve got something special for you, and I have a great surprise for you afterward.

Responding with passive-aggressive comments: I think you’re too busy for me right now. But I’m happy for you. You clearly need to change.

12 End the Relationship Completely

The narcissist thinks you’re lucky to have him in your life. You should thank him for his wonderful presence!

If you choose to cut ties with him, be prepared for a journey filled with shock, anger, and horror.

They are so used to the status quo where they dictate everyone’s behavior that they don’t know how to deal with it when someone stops playing by their rules.

To get revenge, they will usually try a variety of different tricks to manipulate you back into their lives.

I miss you! I promise to change. I’m going to start going to therapy.

I didn’t mean what I said. Can you give me another chance?

You need me! Who else would put up with you?

What would the kids think if you left them? Is that the kind of parent you want to be?

What about all the good times we had? Do you really want to throw them all away?

Just wait until I tell everyone what kind of person you really are.

These are all different scenarios where a narcissist might try to manipulate you.

Because they are designed to appeal to your emotions, they often work. So when you take the opposite approach and continue to follow the right path, it can be very frustrating.

Have you tried any of these? Please share them with us in the comments.