If A Woman Can Never Be Wrong, You'll Know It By These 7 Narcissistic Behaviors
Babydov | Pexels Close your eyes and imagine a narcissist. Try to picture what you think a narcissist looks like in your mind. It's a male, right? While, yes, there are many men in the world with narcissistic personality disorder, too often we associate the qualities of narcissism only with men.
We think of unrelenting ego and a smug sense of self-satisfaction, and, for whatever reason, we identify those as male qualities. It’s one of the most common stereotypes about narcissism. But here’s the thing — narcissism knows no gender boundaries. Women can be narcissists, too.
Are men more likely to be narcissists than women? While there is some research to back that up, it doesn’t mean women are immune to narcissism. We all know women who make everything all about them, women who flaunt themselves, and women who can never, ever be wrong. Some women exhibit traits that align with the classic definition of narcissism, which is “excessive interest in oneself and one's physical appearance.”
Narcissism is more subtle in females, especially with covert narcissism and communal narcissism; overt and grandiose narcissism are more common in males.
Women are known to have less severe traits and are more difficult to detect compared to men with narcissistic personality disorder. Women are more likely to be misdiagnosed, and have more empathy and emotional sensitivity than narcissists who are men. There are many female narcissists in the world, and you'll know them by these narcissistic behaviors.
If a woman can never be wrong, you'll know it by these 7 narcissistic behaviors:
1. Every conversation revolves around her
While it’s fine to talk about yourself occasionally in social settings, a narcissistic woman will almost exclusively talk about herself or will always steer the conversation back to herself. Ask yourself, “When was the last time she asked a question about me?” If the answer is never, that’s a pretty clear sign that she’s very full of herself.
A woman's need to come back to herself in every conversation is a direct reflection of her need to measure her own worth against the people they're talking to. "Narcissists only feel worthy if they're superior, special, and above other people, so they're constantly measuring themselves up to the people around them," clinical psychologist Dr. Kibby McMahon explained.
2. She constantly cancels plans with you
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Conflicts happen, but one of the big signs she's a narcissist is when she pathologically refuses to commit to prior engagements. She doesn’t care about the impact on others. She never even thinks about your disappointment. All she wants is the freedom to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, no matter how it impacts the people around her.
"Narcissists often have hierarchical thinking, meaning that every person or object (they are also very materialistic) is placed on a scale. They have trouble believing anyone is their equal. This perspective is deeply rooted in their need for admiration and status," life coach Meredith Deasley explained.
3. She hates being told no
This is one of the easiest ways to detect a narcissist. When they ask you to do something, just say, “No.” It doesn’t even have to be a hard “No.” You can just delay your response or say, “I’ll get back to you.”
Narcissists hate those kinds of responses. They don’t like other people exerting influence on their self-centered spheres of existence. If you know a woman who loses her mind when you respond negatively, she may exhibit narcissistic traits.
4. She flirts as a means of manipulation
Flirting is a fun thing for adults to do, but narcissists use flirting as a tool to get what they want. This becomes apparent if you know a woman who uses flirting as a means of manipulation on people she’s not romantically interested in.
Narcissists think they’re the hottest things on Earth, and that inflated sense of self-image makes them believe that no one could ever resist them. Thus, they flirt as a form of manipulation because they can’t imagine any man or woman wouldn’t be totally seduced by their feminine wiles.
5. She doesn't speak highly of the people in her life
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Narcissists see themselves standing on the top of the social pyramid, with everyone else firmly beneath their feet. This attitude can become apparent if you listen to how they talk about others. Does the woman in your life frequently use derogatory terms to describe others? Does she always question other people’s intelligence, but never question her own?
That’s classic narcissist behavior. We all have to rip on our friends from time to time, but if you know a woman who is always doing that and never showing any signs of empathy or self-deprecation, she’s probably a narcissist.
6. She refuses to accept blame
If she’s running late, does she ever apologize, or was it always the fault of traffic/your directions/someone else? Narcissistic individuals have a difficult time accepting responsibility — they don’t like admitting that they’re ever at fault for a mistake or a problem.
Their worldview doesn’t support a reality where they could be wrong, so they always deflect blame and argue that someone else (or a factor beyond anyone’s control) caused the problem. You will rarely, if ever, hear a narcissist say “My bad.”
Psychologist Dr. Sherrie Campbell noted that "Narcissistic, emotional manipulators live in a world of distortion. From their perception, they never make mistakes, are never wrong, and their motives are always of pure intent. They take no responsibility for their behavior. They argue over everything and nothing, often making the biggest fuss over matters of least significance. Kicking up dust deflects their responsibility for the issue at hand and throws their victims off target."
7. Her phone is full of selfies
Is her phone all selfies? There's nothing inherently wrong with taking selfies, but if you know a woman who seems to exclusively take selfies, paying all of her attention to framing herself perfectly and never thinking to grab a shot of her family, friends, or the world around her, that’s a big narcissist red flag.
Women are just as capable of being narcissists as men are. If you have a woman in your life who never seems to exhibit any empathy and who always wants to make things about herself, she probably has narcissistic tendencies, and you should consider keeping your distance.
Friendships and relationships are all about give and take, which is something a true narcissist will never, ever understand. You need to be able to notice the narcissistic behaviors of a woman who's never wrong to be able to better protect yourself from their harmful and hurtful behavior.
Elizabeth Ayers-Callahan is a freelance writer whose mission is to help other women feel less alone in their marriages. Her work focuses on intimacy and relationship issues.
