Keeping it Together: Do narcissists feel heartbreak?

Do narcissists experience heartbreak?

Hi! My name is Charlie, and I'm a wellness reporter here at Paste BN. I've reported on issues of narcissism and narcissistic abuse in the past, and this question has always fascinated me. People who've been discarded by narcissists certainly feel heartbroken; but how do breakups make narcissists feel?

It's a complicated question − and mental health experts say the answer hinges on several factors, including what type of narcissist they are, if there's another person they're interested in who's readily available and if they had a say in ending the relationship.

Narcissists don't feel love in the same way non-narcissists do, explains Stephanie Sarkis, a psychotherapist and author of "Healing from Toxic Relationships: 10 Essential Steps to Recover from Gaslighting, Narcissism, and Emotional Abuse." They don't love their partner; they love the narcissistic supply, or the attention and validation, that person brings them.

Therefore, if a narcissist feels heartbreak, it's mainly about the loss of supply, rather than the loss of the person.

"They're sad to lose something that worked for them," Chelsey Cole, a psychotherapist and author of "If Only I'd Known: How to Outsmart Narcissists, Set Guilt-Free Boundaries, and Create Unshakeable Self-Worth," says. "If you lost your favorite purse or lost your favorite possession or something that meant a lot to you, you would be sad about losing that thing that was important, because of what it did for you or how it made you feel."

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