If
you've ever been a business partner or worked on any kind of project
with a Narcissist, you probably know what it's like to be treated like
someone else's shadow, like you weren't even there. It's almost comical
how they take full credit for the work you do, the money you contribute,
the plans you made, even the project itself (the ones that were YOUR
idea). THEY are the only REAL person in their
world. You could write an entire song from beginning to end, all the
words, all the music, every instrumental part, and ask them to play one
of the parts on stage or on a record, and they will take credit for
writing the whole song.
They will also simply STEAL a song, literally, and claim they wrote it, and collect the royalties and credit. (You hear songs on the radio every day that have been literally stolen.) They will take your photographic work without asking and use it to sell their product. They will take your artistic work and use it for their logo without paying you. They will order a portrait sculpture or painting and refuse to pay for it once it's completed. They will create fake work and billing in order to get more money out of a customer. They will take your invention and patent it in their own name. They will take your story and turn it into a screenplay, and claim it's original. They will take your scientific work and claim it's their own, and put their name on your observations and theories. They'll stead your dissertation and publish it as their own work. They'll simply REWRITE their own reality using YOUR WORK. And they will pat themselves on the back for all of it.
They will also simply STEAL a song, literally, and claim they wrote it, and collect the royalties and credit. (You hear songs on the radio every day that have been literally stolen.) They will take your photographic work without asking and use it to sell their product. They will take your artistic work and use it for their logo without paying you. They will order a portrait sculpture or painting and refuse to pay for it once it's completed. They will create fake work and billing in order to get more money out of a customer. They will take your invention and patent it in their own name. They will take your story and turn it into a screenplay, and claim it's original. They will take your scientific work and claim it's their own, and put their name on your observations and theories. They'll stead your dissertation and publish it as their own work. They'll simply REWRITE their own reality using YOUR WORK. And they will pat themselves on the back for all of it.
If you built a business together, they will take ALL OF THE CREDIT and believe THEY were the ones who did all of the work. They will belittle whatever you did, no matter how much you contributed, no matter if you ACTUALLY did twice the work they did and spent 5 times the money they did. They will NOT pay you back any money you lent them, no matter how much or how little it was, and will tell everyone your money is gone because YOU BLEW IT (even while you're holding the copies of the checks in your HAND that you lent them, with their name on them.)
Narcissists will deny you were even THERE, or completely diminish and minimize your contribution to any project or business or family or group AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
If you saved their life, literally, they will turn on you so they don't have to feel like they owe you anything. No matter how much you helped them, they will claim they did everything by themselves, and that any help they received was minimal or nothing at all.
If you were the other ASTRONAUT in the first human voyage to Mars, and you were the pilot, and you built the ship, they would tell everyone you were "JUST ALONG FOR THE RIDE".
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get EVERYTHING IN WRITING, even if it's your best friend you're working with, your spouse, or your relative. A REAL friend would WANT you to be protected in writing, and would want to protect themselves as well, they would want EVERYTHING to be documented clearly and "on the table" to protect everyone involved and to make sure everything is FAIR. WOULDN'T THEY?!?
What kind of a "friend" doesn't want YOU to be protected with legal documentation?
Even if it's just from something unexpected going awry?
What kind of "friend" doesn't want YOU to get credit for your contribution or work?
What kind of "friend" doesn't want your funds, your future, or your family's livelihood to be safe?What kind of "friend" doesn't want YOU to get credit for your contribution or work?
Think about it.
