Covert Narcissism: Definition, Traits, & Tactics​

Covert narcissism is one of two manifestations of narcissism, the other being overt (or grandiose) narcissism (Rose, 2002). There are many similarities between overt and covert narcissism, but there are several important differences as well. Let’s briefly explore the defining characteristics of each expression of narcissism.

Overt/Grandiose Narcissism
​Overt narcissists are more easily identifiable and better understood by both researchers and the public. Below are a few common traits of this manifestation of narcissism:
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• Overconfidence
• Manipulative tactics
• Sense of superiority
• Charm
• Strong desire for power and status
• Attention-seeking behavior
• Self-absorption
• Antagonism
• Entitlement
• Need to feel special

Covert/Vulnerable Narcissism
​Like overt narcissists, covert narcissists are self-absorbed, entitled, antagonistic, and manipulative, and they possess a strong need to feel special. However, there are other traits that are specific to this expression of narcissism. Below are a few commonly observed characteristics of covert narcissism:
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Specifically, research has shown that there are some parental behaviors and personalities that are highly related to narcissism in their children. For example, inconsistent discipline and poor monitoring or supervision have been shown to be correlated with vulnerable narcissism (Mechanic & Barry, 2015). Studies have also shown that parents who lack warmth or empathy may contribute to the development of narcissism in their child (Mechanic & Barry, 2015).​

Self-presentation tactics can be divided into two categories: defensive and assertive. Defensive tactics are used to defend against threats to a preferred self-image. For example, if you wish to be perceived as infallible, you might make excuses to defend against the threat to this image when you get something wrong. Assertive tactics are used to construct a desired self-image. For example, bragging about winning a fight might be an assertive tactic someone who wishes to be perceived as dominant might use.  ​

Self-presentation tactics are employed differently by overt and covert narcissists. For example, overt narcissists tend to rely more heavily on assertive tactics while covert narcissists are more inclined to use both assertive and defensive tactics (Hart et al., 2017). Specifically, covert narcissism was found to be strongly related to the following self-presentation tactics:

Assertive

• Enhancement: advertising and/or exaggerating the value of accomplishments or material possessions
• Ingratiation: flattering, agreeing with, or helping others in order to be likable
• Entitlement: actively taking credit (particularly undue credit) for positive outcomes
• Blasting: speaking negatively of other people to look better by comparison
• Supplication: presenting as weak in order to elicit sympathy from others

Defensive

• Excuse-making: refusing to take responsibility for negative outcomes
• Justifications: denying the severity or extent of undesirability of negative outcomes caused by their behavior
• Disclaimers: making statements that will lower expectations prior to a performance
• Self-handicapping: creating identifiable obstacles that will limit chances of success so they cannot be blamed in the case of failure

One of the hallmarks of narcissism is a pathological preoccupation with preserving their inflated self-image. It is possible that the obsessive need to feel extraordinary creates a compulsion to feel and act like a victim in any negative interpersonal interaction. In other words, narcissists tend to have a heightened sensitivity to and are easily threatened by the actions of other people (McCullough et al., 2003). Adopting a victim mentality helps them protect their self-image in the face of a “threat” by creating a narrative in which someone else is at fault.  

Additionally, some researchers suggest that the victim mentality that is common to vulnerable narcissists may be a product of what is known as hostile attribution bias (McCullough et al., 2003). Hostile attribution bias is a cognitive bias in which an individual consistently interprets ambiguous or neutral social situations as being indicative of hostile intentions or aggression from others. In other words, people with this bias tend to assume that others are out to harm them or have negative intentions, even when there is no clear evidence to support such interpretations (Hansen-Brown & Freis, 2021). It is suggested that vulnerable narcissists tend to feel victimized because they are interpreting the actions of others through this lens. That is, they already assume that other people are malicious, so any perceived transgressions appear to be the product of malintent.

Scholars have proposed five possible motives for jealousy induction (Tortoriello et al., 2017):
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1. Power/control
2. Revenge
3. Testing/strengthening the relationship
4. Security
5. Compensating for low self-esteem

Vulnerable narcissists may be especially inclined to use this tactic, as they are known to endorse a game-playing love style that involves deception, manipulation, and distancing (Tortoriello et al., 2017).​

To date, very little research has directly investigated the propensity for covert narcissists to use gaslighting tactics. One study, however, has shown that covert narcissists are more likely to find gaslighting tactics acceptable (March et al., 2023). The authors speculate that this is due to the hypersensitivity to rejection, feelings of inadequacy, and inability to receive negative feedback common among covert narcissists. Specifically, it is suggested that gaslighting tactics seem acceptable to covert narcissists because they allow them to avoid threats to their vulnerable egos.

Ghosting is thought to be an appealing strategy for narcissists in part because they commonly lack the empathy required to engage in the challenging experience of actively terminating a relationship (Jonason et al., 2021). In other words, breaking up with someone sucks, so doing it requires caring about the way someone feels. Additionally, narcissists might be more inclined to ghost people because they tend to prefer passive-aggressive social strategies (Jonason et al., 2021).

• Self-Centeredness: Definition, Opposite, & Examples
• Triangulating: In Relationships, Friendships, & Family
• Pathological Liars: Definition, Types, & Signs
• ​Maliciousness: Definition, Causes, & Examples
• ​Deceitfulness: In Dating, Business, & Marriage​​​​​​​​​​​​​

• Hansen-Brown, A. A., & Freis, S. D. (2021). Assuming the worst: Hostile attribution bias in vulnerable narcissists. Self and Identity, 20(2), 152–164.
• Hart, W., Adams, J., Burton, K. A., & Tortoriello, G. K. (2017). Narcissism and self-presentation: Profiling grandiose and vulnerable Narcissists’ self-presentation tactic use. Personality and Individual Differences, 104, 48–57.
• Jonason, P. K., Kaźmierczak, I., Campos, A. C., & Davis, M. D. (2021). Leaving without a word: Ghosting and the Dark Triad traits. Acta Psychologica, 220, 103425.
• Kampe, L., Bohn, J., Remmers, C., & Hörz-Sagstetter, S. (2021). It’s not that great anymore: The central role of defense mechanisms in grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 661948.
• March, E., Kay, C. S., Dinić, B. M., Wagstaff, D., Grabovac, B., & Jonason, P. K. (2023). “It’s all in your head”: Personality traits and gaslighting tactics in intimate relationships. Journal of Family Violence, 1–10.
• Mechanic, K. L., & Barry, C. T. (2015). Adolescent grandiose and vulnerable narcissism: Associations with perceived parenting practices. Journal of Child and family Studies, 24, 1510–1518.
• McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., Kilpatrick, S. D., & Mooney, C. N. (2003). Narcissists as “victims”: The role of narcissism in the perception of transgressions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29(7), 885–893.
• Rose, P. (2002). The happy and unhappy faces of narcissism. Personality and Individual Differences, 33(3), 379–391.
• Tortoriello, G. K., Hart, W., Richardson, K., & Tullett, A. M. (2017). Do narcissists try to make romantic partners jealous on purpose? An examination of motives for deliberate jealousy-induction among subtypes of narcissism. Personality and Individual Differences, 114, 10–15.
• Willis, M. L., Oliver, E., & March, E. (2023). Dating in the dark: Vulnerable narcissism predicts inauthentic self-presentation in online dating. Telematics and Informatics, 81, 101985.
• Zeigler-Hill, V., Green, B. A., Arnau, R. C., Sisemore, T. B., & Myers, E. M. (2011). Trouble ahead, trouble behind: Narcissism and early maladaptive schemas. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 42(1), 96–103.