Written by Shahida Arabi, MA, psychopathology researcher and expert
How narcissists and psychopaths work in groups against a chosen target: an in-depth guide.
When we speak about narcissism, we often focus on the individual. He or she is narcissistic. He or she is a victim of a narcissist. Yet what about those victims who are bullied and targeted by groups filled with narcissistic individuals or in a group where the narcissistic pack leader has toxic enablers? What happens when there is mobbing led by an entire group against one individual?
Contrary to popular belief, narcissism can and does run in group dynamics too – it just plays out on an even more massive and destructive scale. Rather than one partner abusing another, there is an entire group working to undermine and plot against a chosen target.
This is especially harmful to any chosen victim because neuroscience research shows that social rejection activates some of the same areas of the brain as areas that process physical pain, bearing strong overlap with the emotional distress involved in both experiences and in intense circumstances it can even activate some regions involved in the sensory components of physical pain as well (Eisenberger, 2003; Kross, et. al 2011). Theoretically, being emotionally abused and alienated by a manipulative group can at times feel just as painful or similarly painful as physical injury although these experiences aren’t identical.
The frontrunners of such a group use enablers to ensure that the recipients of such bullying are properly silenced. This is also known as “mobbing,” where a toxic individual enlists the help of others to carry out his or her vicious campaign and dirty work against another
This scapegoat may at first be love-bombed and adored only to later be devalued as a “black sheep” who is treated like an outsider of the group even if they have contributed to the group and benefited the group the most with their resources, talents, and skill set. This chosen black sheep is then terrorized, taunted, excluded, persecuted and becomes the site of many projections or unfair blame for the mistakes of the narcissistic group. The group has no problem using the victim to advance their agenda or add to their resources, but they fail to recognize or reward the efforts of that individual in a fair way. In fact, the harder the scapegoat works to win the approval of the group, the more the scapegoat is persecuted.
Since the group is usually led by one or more narcissistic or psychopathic individuals, very little mercy or empathy is given to the victim. We see this unhealthy, abusive dynamic play out within the realm of the narcissistic family unit, friendship circles, workplaces and anywhere there is a possibility for bullying, posing great harm to those who are targeted.
The target suffers through unbelievable emotional, verbal, perhaps even physical abuse at the hands of the toxic group, who uses them as a scapegoat for the group’s problems, need for punishment, and deviant desires.
For an excellent example of how a narcissistic group dynamic can undermine and scapegoat one individual, one needs to look no farther than the devastating bullying Today Show co-host Ann Curry suffered under the reign of Matt Lauer (who has now been exposed as a sexual predator) and her colleagues back in 2011.
According to Vulture, executive producer Jim Bell reportedly launched what was known as “Operation Bambi,” a mission to eradicate Curry from the team, early on in her employment (he denies this, of course). She was subjected to not only Lauer’s mistreatment but also exclusion, taunting and bullying by her other colleagues as a result. In 2012, a clearly traumatized Curry was forced to leave the show in a highly televised exit despite the fact that she was, and remains today, a highly talented, empathic and one-of-a-kind journalist.
In fact, NBC lost more than a fifth of its audience after her departure.
This example illustrates something deeply important: groups with one or more psychopaths or narcissists do not target people who are incompetent. On the contrary, they target those who threaten the status quo in some way.
Curry represented the type of conscientious, empathic and sincere person that juxtaposed Lauer’s own predatory personality and threatened the group dynamic of keeping toxic behavior under the wraps. Since the corporate world tends to favor and promote psychopathic individuals, they chose Lauer’s preferences over Curry’s potential and incredible abilities to connect with her viewers in a deeply compassionate way.
To make the narcissistic conspiracy against a scapegoat all the more effective, the victim is further silenced by what makes them so special in the first place – their ability to be discerning, their sensitive nature, their compassion, is used to paint them as erratic or dramatic should they dare speak out…