If you try to understand the mind of a narcissist you will lose your own- Benjamin Zulu
If you try to understand the mind of a narcissist you will lose your own. This is because narcissists are social chameleons with no consistent identity and they modify their behaviour according to who they’re around. There are many victims who overstayed with narcissists trying to expose them because it seemed unacceptable to them that such a vile person existed and people saw them otherwise.
They thought they were saving other victims but wisdom requires that you save yourself first especially when the villain you’re up against is more armed than you. Narcissists are armed with a very wicked heart and zero conscience and some of their victims are already in graves. Once you identify one start by saving yourself and then you can consider carrying your exposé from a safe distance.
In any case even a brief relationship with an egomaniac leaves you with so much damage that you’ll still be dealing with what remained. But the extent of the damage only becomes apparent once you try to heal, meaning most people get so busy with their own survival even post the relationship that such return missions get overtaken by events.