The Ultimate Toxic Entanglement: How The Covert Narcissist Future Fakes The Saviour.

Sherile Turner-Myles
7 min readMay 7, 2023

Future faking is a manipulative tactic vulnerable narcissists use to trap their ‘Heroic’ partners.

Photo by Mehdi MeSSrro on Unsplash

Here are four ways a vulnerable narcissist might use future faking to keep their partner in the relationship or maintain control over them:

Making promises they can’t keep: Covert narcissists might make promises to their partner about the future, such as marriage, children, or a shared future together, that they have no intention of keeping. This can keep the partner hooked on the relationship, hoping the narcissist will follow through on their promises.

Withholding affection or commitment: Covert narcissists might use future faking to withhold affection or commitment from their partner, promising to be more affectionate or commit to the relationship. This can keep the partner invested in the relationship and hope for a better future.

Using the future as a bargaining chip: Covert narcissists might use the promise of a better future as a bargaining chip to get their partner to do what they want in the present. For example, they might promise to be more committed to the relationship if their partner agrees to move to a new city or change jobs.

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Sherile Turner-Myles

I write about Covert Narcissism and other Personality Disorders, and how they impact relationships.