Going through a divorce is challenging for some individuals. When you’re married to a person who has narcissism, you’ll likely find that you’re facing what seems like an uphill battle. You can’t count on having a calm divorce because that person is likely going to pull out all the stops to make things as stressful as possible.
In order to make it through this situation, you’re going to have to carefully prepare. You can’t think that some of the more common techniques for handling divorce will work because a narcissist is a game player who is going to try to game the system in any way they think will profit them.
A victim mentality
Narcissists see themselves as the victims in every situation. They are going to try to come out as the winner at all costs. They aren’t going to be willing to work through mediation because that means they’d have to compromise. Instead, they’ll likely try to go through a divorce trial and show the court what a horrible person you’ve been to them. A person in this mental state doesn’t see the truth as what it is. Instead, they see it as being something that only applies if it serves them.
Need to feel powerful
These individuals want to feel powerful in every situation. They are going to think that making you go to court is somehow controlling you. While it is true to a certain extent, it doesn’t mean that you have to play into their antics. Instead, you can take things in stride and just prepare your case for the trial. By not letting them see that it’s affecting you, you’re pulling some of that power away from you.
Dragging out the divorce
In their never-ending quest to feel like they have the power, they might try to drag the divorce out as long as they can. This is done because they think that they are hurting you financially and emotionally. What they don’t realize is that they are also losing out. Even though you might have to spend more money on the divorce and spend more time trying to sort everything out, you shouldn’t give into their demands if they are trying to give you a lesser settlement than you’re due.
Battling a narcissist in court requires you to have a firm divorce team that will help you protect your interests. The goal of your divorce must remain providing you with the best start for your new single life.