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Manipulation, lies, coldheartedness, lack of morals and a general carelessness toward others are all traits found in narcissists, Machiavellians, and psychopaths.<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, there are some distinctions. Nevertheless, if you’ve found those traits in your partner, you might be considering a breakup. Before you do, you’ll need to set up some strategies to protect yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n If you’ve had enough of the sense of entitlement, arrogance, need for admiration and lack of empathy, you might now be wondering how to approach a breakup.<\/span><\/p>\n Narcissists, Machiavellians, and psychopaths all have a lack of empathy in common. Nevertheless, as this<\/span> paper on the dark triad traits and their structure<\/span><\/a> shows, narcissists do differ slightly from psychopaths and Machiavellians.<\/span><\/p>\n In short, <\/span>narcissists tend to be more about self-absorption and superiority whereas psychopaths and machiavellians are selfish and callous.<\/b><\/p>\n So, narcissists and psychopaths will respond differently to a breakup. With the former, <\/span>be prepared for anger, blame and even violence. <\/b><\/p>\n Then again, some narcissists might simply turn away and avoid you. In a sense, they cut their losses and move on as quickly as possible to someone else who will make them the center of attention.<\/span><\/p>\n Those two different approaches are sometimes referred to as “narcissistic rivalry” or “narcissistic admiration”. As detailed in a<\/span> paper on narcissistic admiration and rivalry<\/span><\/a>, in the former, they put you down and in the latter, they charm others into putting them on a pedestal<\/span><\/p>\n In the case of a breakup, some narcissists will simply move on to someone else. <\/span><\/p>\n The other niggling question that sometimes comes up when we are faced with narcissists, machiavellians, and psychopaths, or the<\/span> dark triad<\/span><\/a>, is “do narcissists attract sociopaths”.<\/span><\/p>\n Or perhaps, how much of those traits do you exhibit that attracts these people to you?<\/span><\/p>\n Although, if you’re wondering if you’re a sociopath or a dark triad, the chances are that you’re not.<\/span><\/p>\n Overall, narcissists are attracted to anyone who looks good by their side regardless of whether they are a sociopath or not.<\/b><\/p>\n It’s also worth remembering that neither sociopath nor the word psychopath appear in the DSM but are listed under the criteria for antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).<\/b> As such, there’s a debate as to what those traits really are.<\/span><\/p>\n All this to say that we can’t label people that easily and it’s often wiser to stick to the facts of the behaviors portrayed. The aim is to focus on what you need to protect yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n As this<\/span> article on what machiavellian really means<\/span><\/a> explains, the term was coined by Shakespeare from the writer and philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli. The term came specifically from his book, the Prince, which, at face value, does away with all morals and ethics.<\/span><\/p>\n As the article further explains, even Machiavelli had more to say than his advice to follow greed and self-interest. His message was that we all have a dark side.<\/span><\/p>\n Today, we also know that those who display traits of narcissists, machiavellians, and psychopaths often suffer from other disorders so it can be hard to know exactly where behaviors come from.<\/span><\/p>\n Generally though, <\/span>machiavellians tend to be manipulative during breakups. They might do that by withdrawing and avoiding confrontation on the one hand.<\/b> Alternatively, they can also bring up an argument as an excuse to then make it look like they’re the ones breaking up.<\/span><\/p>\n A study on how the dark triad breaks up further explains that <\/span>machiavellians and psychopaths have a similar way of breaking up when it comes to leveraging an old argument to put them back in control. It’s the classic manipulation technique.<\/b><\/p>\n Whilst both machiavellians and psychopaths tend to manipulate and escalate arguments as a tool to make them in control of the breakup, <\/span>psychopaths show greater cold-heartedness.<\/b><\/p>\n In the same<\/span> study on how the dark triad breaks up<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>psychopaths are more likely to ghost their partner and walk away with little remorse or concern.<\/b><\/p>\n But then you have something called the malevolent narcissist psychopath.<\/span><\/p>\n Generally, malevolent is a term associated with both machiavellian and psychopaths but less so with narcissists. <\/span>Combining narcissism with psychopathy though produces a combination of ruthlessness and self-centredness.<\/b><\/p>\n As this<\/span> study on entrepreneurial self-efficacy<\/span><\/a> shows, narcissists, machiavellians, and psychopaths focus on self-interest and aggression. More specifically, they drive for achievement.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n So, your narcissist psychopath is likely to simply walk away from a breakup. In this case, they essentially create a story around how you weren’t good enough for them.<\/b><\/p>\n Finally, do psychopaths and narcissists get along?<\/span><\/p>\n They might be attracted to each other because, as the study above describes, they are both intelligent, charming and essentially, successful. Nevertheless, the need to meet their own interests only will clash at some point into potentially vicious behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n Let’s first not forget that machiavellians, narcissists and psychopaths might appear charming at first but <\/span>what unites them is their lack of emotional intelligence.<\/b><\/p>\n As a result, the malevolent narcissist psychopath or the machiavellian rejected partner will generally have a triggered reaction. They won’t be kind or understanding. <\/span>Instead, they’ll fight back in whatever way works for them.<\/b><\/p>\n You might also be facing a<\/span> dark empath<\/span><\/a> who combines all three personalities: narcissists, machiavellians, and psychopaths. In this case, they do have some empathy but they use it to draw you even deeper into their games.<\/span><\/p>\n Whilst narcissists tend to focus on self-importance, machiavellians and psychopaths are more malicious and cold-hearted.<\/b> To have this type of negative energy in your life is a drain for anyone.<\/span><\/p>\n Overall, <\/span>partnering with narcissists, machiavellians, and psychopaths can leave you anxious, depressed and with lower self-esteem.<\/b><\/p>\n That’s why it’s critical to have a good support group around you of friends, family or even therapy. They can help you validate your feelings and reality. <\/span><\/p>\n It’s worth noting at this point that <\/span>not all narcissists, machiavellians, and psychopaths disregard societal norms when it comes to how we treat each other.<\/b><\/p>\n The neuroscientist James Fallon who discovered he had the brain of a psychopath explains in his book, <\/span>The Psychopath Inside<\/span><\/a>, that he might not feel emotionally connected to his wife but there is, nonetheless, a connection.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n Fallon is fascinated by his wife and today, he has learnt to love those around him through admiration and respect for what they do and how they all support each other.<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, not all narcissists, machiavellians, and psychopaths were fortunate to grow up in a loving family like Fallon’s. Regardless, some of them might surprise you with how they’ve learnt to respond according to society’s expectations and not necessarily for the worst.<\/span><\/p>\n You can learn more about neuroscientist James Fallon and his experience living as a psychopath in his video:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nRELATED READING : <\/span>7 Telltale Signs of a Master Manipulator in a Relationship<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/span>Traits of a Psychopath during a breakup <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Do Narcissists attract sociopaths?<\/b><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/span>Traits of a Machiavellian during breakups<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Traits of a psychopath when breaking up<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
RELATED READING : <\/span>Narcissistic Couples: When Two Narcissists Fall in Love<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/span>Common qualities across narcissists, machiavellians, and psychopaths when breaking up<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/span>How do these personality types affect their partners when breaking up?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n