The Narcissist – Taking the Credit – Shifting the Blame

The high-level narcissist is a master at taking the credit, whether it is deserved or not, and shifting the blame, whether it is justified or not. After all, in their minds, they are entitled to all the credit for the success, and since they are not to blame, they cannot be blamed for the failure. These narcissistic characteristics can best be demonstrated with a few examples.

Robert was the General Counsel of a publicly traded corporate conglomerate. His in-house legal staff included attorneys who handled company litigation. Robert was a fantastic armchair litigator. From his comfortable leather chair in his corner office with a panoramic view, he could successfully argue any case and in these mock courtroom settings he always “won” the case. From time to time, it was inevitable that Robert would be approached by one of the deputy general counsels assigned to the litigation department to appear before an actual court. Robert would suddenly disappear citing other pressing matters until court proceedings were over.

When the company was successful in litigation, Robert would tell colleagues, friends, and even strangers sitting on the next stool in some prestigious bar how his brilliant strategy resulted in a fantastic victory in a hard-fought case. On those occasions when the judge or jury returned a verdict against the company, Robert was quick to find fault with the litigant assigned to the case and pointed out how the outcome would have been different had he personally handled the trial alone.

Jay ran the production department of a major television studio. The biggest times of the year in the television world are the pilot season, when shows are selected for the coming year, and sweep weeks, when show ratings dictate ad revenue. Living with Jay was never easy, but during these two times of the year he was insufferable. When a selected pilot turned out to be successful, it was due to Jay’s brilliant decision to air the show. When grades tanked, it was somehow always the result of bad advice he took from a subordinate. Similarly, during sweep weeks, the decision to have a controversial issue on a sitcom, such as an unwanted pregnancy, when it was successful was Jay’s idea and when it resulted in poor reviews and low ratings it was someone else’s fault. . Although Robert and Jay’s fake behavior seems transparent, these narcissists are often materially rewarded in the business world.

This cycle of Taking Credit – Shifting Blame speaks to the narcissist’s extraordinary sense of self-right. When working or living with these people, it is instructive to be acutely aware of the narcissist’s total focus on what he wants and knows he deserves. The needs, merit, hard work, sacrifices, and feelings of others are inconsequential. This is the narcissist’s game: he makes up the rules and collects all the chips.