A narcissistic individual will do anything to keep their façade intact, including launching a smear campaign against you. A narcissistic smear campaign is a deliberate and calculated effort by a narcissist to tarnish someone else’s reputation, credibility, or character.
Essentially, it is a manipulative tactic used to maintain the narcissist’s own image while discrediting and undermining their target’s.
Being the victim of a smear campaign can be incredibly challenging. Below we will detail everything you need to know about smear campaigns and how to protect yourself against false accusations.
What is a Narcissistic Smear Campaign?
A narcissistic smear campaign is a narcissist’s attempt to tarnish their victim’s image, reputation, credibility, or character.
These campaigns often involve spreading false information, rumors, or half-truths about the victim, aiming to turn others against them. The intent is to paint the victim as unstable, unreliable, or even dangerous, while the narcissist presents themselves as the victim or the righteous one.
Psychologist Dr. Ramani refers to smear campaigns as “large-scale gaslighting.” Gaslighting involves manipulating someone into questioning their own perceptions, memory, or sanity.
Dr. Ramani’s comparison underscores the psychological impact of smear campaigns, highlighting how they’re not merely about spreading rumors but also about distorting reality and manipulating perceptions on a larger scale.
Narcissists will use smear campaigns to maintain control and power, manipulating perceptions to ensure they are seen favorably while damaging the target’s credibility and social standing.
They might use various means to spread these false narratives, including gossip, social media, or rallying mutual acquaintances and allies to support their version of events.
By portraying themselves as the victim or the righteous one and painting the victim as problematic or untrustworthy, the narcissist is using psychological manipulation to control the narrative and maintain power.
This can lead the victim to question their own reality, causing immense emotional distress and destroying their confidence and sense of identity (This is often part of the devaluation/ discard phase).
Why do Narcissists Engage in Smear Campaigns?
Narcissistic individuals will engage in smear campaigns for several reasons. However, the driving force often lies in their need for control, power, and the preservation of their self-image (also know as their narcissistic supply).
Anyone who questions their superiority or causes a narcissistic injury will become a target for revenge.
Thus, while it may be a personal attack on you, the reason for the smear campaign is not actually you – it’s the narcissist’s fragile, egoic, and malicious nature.
A narcissist may engage in a smear campaign to:
1. Protect Their Façade
Narcissists have a fragile self-esteem, and they will go to great lengths to protect their self-image as flawless or superior. They tend to present a false image to the world that enables them to draw people in and manipulate their surrounding environment.
If there is a chance you may expose what they are truly like, they may attempt to discredit you by starting a smear campaign.
Smear campaigns also help them maintain this façade by deflecting attention away from their faults and projecting them onto others.
2. Maintain Control
Narcissistic individuals have a strong need for control – but their sense of control is easily challenged.
Smear campaigns allow narcissists to control narratives and perceptions. By discrediting others, they ensure that they remain in a position of power and dominance.
3. Avoid Accountability
When faced with accountability or criticism, narcissists often resort to blaming others.
Smear campaigns serve as a way to shift blame, making the victim appear responsible for any issues or conflicts.
4. Seek Revenge
You may have (inadvertently) caused a narcissistic injury. Narcissistic individuals are highly sensitive to criticism and may perceive injury where there is none.
Breaking up with a narcissist, speaking up for yourself, challenging them, or questioning their superiority and entitlement in any way can cause narcissistic injury.
If you injure a narcissist’s fragile self-esteem, they will often seek revenge. Instead of confronting you directly, they will engage in a smear campaign.
5. Reinforce Their Superiority
In the eyes of a narcissistic person, there are only winners and losers. Narcissists see themselves as superior and entitled, and therefore, they are winners.
Discrediting others reinforces their belief in their own superiority and validates their sense of entitlement.
If a narcissist is jealous of your success or feels that you are somehow standing in their way, they will launch an attack to bring that person down. They can only feel like the winner when others lose.
6. Isolate the Victim
By tarnishing the victim’s reputation, narcissists aim to isolate them from support networks.
This isolation makes it easier for the narcissist to maintain control over the victim and prevents others from offering support or believing the victim’s side of the story.
Signs of a Narcissistic Smear Campaign
How do you know if you are the victim of a narcissistic smear campaign?
Identifying whether you’re the victim of a narcissistic smear campaign can be challenging, especially when the manipulative tactics are subtle or gradual.
Here are some signs that might indicate you’re being targeted:
1. People Turning Against You
One common tactic that narcissists use to assert control is isolating their victim. If you notice that people you were once close to start behaving differently or seem distant without any apparent reason, this could be a sign you are the victim of a smear campaign.
There might be an unexplained negative shift in your relationships or you might find yourself isolated or cut off from social circles, friends, or professional networks.
If people start avoiding you without explanation, it is very possible that the narcissist in your life has been telling a distorted narrative, painting you in a bad light.
2. Hearing Stories and Rumors About Yourself
I️f you begin to hear rumors or false accusations about yourself that seem to come from nowhere or don’t align with reality – often spread through gossip or social media – you may be the target of a narcissistic smear campaign.
You might also experience a consistent pattern of misrepresentation or distortion of your words, actions, or intentions by a particular individual or group.
In some cases, you may be confronted by people who seem to have received a distorted version of events or false information about you.
3. Complete Denial
At some point, you might begin to find obvious signs of a concerted effort by someone to undermine your credibility or tarnish your reputation.
However, if you confront the perpetrator about the rumors and the negative shift, they will deny all allegations. Narcissists, in particular, will rarely own up to their wrongdoings, often playing the victim of the situation.
They might say things like, “How could you think I would ever do something like that?” and attempt to turn the tables back onto you. They might even use your accusations as evidence of your “malicious” character and your attempt to “harm” them.
4. Gaslighting
When the person orchestrating the smear campaign not only spreads false information about you but also manages to manipulate the narrative to make it seem like you’re the one at fault, it’s a form of large-scale gaslighting.
By flipping the story and making you out to be the perpetrator, they’re not only discrediting you but also distorting reality to a larger audience. This manipulation can confuse and disorient those who might have initially been neutral or unaware of the situation, leading them to question your integrity and believe the false narrative created by the manipulator.
As people begin to doubt your character or actions based on the false information presented by the manipulator, the narcissist places themself in a position of power, while you are left feeling powerless and victimized.
Examples of Smear Campaigns in the Workplace
In 2021, Lindsay Ruiz at the University of St. Thomas analyzed the lived experiences of six adult professionals exposed to the dynamics of narcissistic abuse in the workplace.
She shared their experiences of smear campaigns. Examples are detailed below:
“It was not until Participant 4’s departure from this organization that he learned that the CEO had attempted to smear his reputation with the senior leadership team and BOD:
‘he [the CEO] had asked them not to speak with me because I had behaved so irresponsibly to the organization for giving a two-week notice. That was a lie.
I never got over that, and people with whom I had enjoyed close relationships with went along with his assertion and never spoke to me after I left.
I only learned about what happened from a member of the BOD who thought it shameful of the CEO but did nothing.‘”
Another participant described: "What I experienced in this person was that they were very manipulative. They cozied up to their superiors while making other people look bad, and they were extremely good at it."
“Participant 5 and her colleague sat on opposite sides of a divider in an open floor plan office.
Not realizing they were being overheard as they gossiped on the line with another colleague, the individual began sharing a much altered version of the story, portraying Participant 5 as incompetent—omitting and blatantly misrepresenting facts:
‘I immediately messaged this person through our team chat that what I heard them saying was categorically untrue: ‘I did not say that, and it is the exact opposite of what I said,’ to which this person responded: ‘LOL.””
Tactics Narcissists Use During a Smear Campaign
The combination of narcissistic traits with psychopathic tendencies can lead to proactive aggression.
Narcissism often involves an inflated sense of self-importance, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. Psychopathic traits include callousness, impulsivity, and a disregard for others’ feelings or rights.
When these traits mix, it can result in a tendency toward calculated and purposeful aggression to achieve one’s desired goals.
Individuals with these combined traits might use aggression as a means to assert dominance, control situations, or achieve their desired outcomes without concern for the well-being or rights of others.
This purposeful and goal-directed aggression may come in the form of:
- Telling lies, spreading rumors, or exaggerating stories about a victim to damage their reputation
- Undermining one’s credibility by twisting facts and distorting information
- Playing the victim to gather sympathy and support while undermining the other person’s credibility
- Shifting the blame onto their victim to avoid any responsibility
- Enlisting friends, family, or colleagues to support their narrative and bolster their credibility
- Using gaslighting techniques to make someone doubt their own reality and question their perceptions of events
- Isolating their victim from friends and family, making it harder for them to defend themselves
- Intimidating their victim and those involved to instill fear and submission
- Projecting their own faults, insecurities, or actions onto the other person
- Cyberbullying (spreading misinformation online, creating false accounts, stalking, leaving malicious comments, etc.)
What to Do About a Narcissistic Smear Campaign
Being the victim of a narcissistic smear campaign can be extremely confusing, distressing, and heartbreaking, especially if the perpetrator is someone you previously trusted.
Not only is it emotionally and psychologically damaging, but it could also have detrimental consequences on your relationships with others.
While dealing with a narcissistic smear campaign can be taxing, there are some steps you can take to address the situation and protect yourself:
1. Minimize Involvement
Keep your composure and refrain from directly engaging in the smear campaign.
Responding emotionally or defensively will often fuel the campaign further. By fighting back or reacting emotionally, you are giving the narcissist exactly what they want: attention and a sense of control.
Instead, focus on maintaining your integrity and seeking support from trusted individuals.
If you feel you would like to address the issue with them, do it strategically and act in a calm and factual manner. Choose your platform wisely, possibly addressing concerns directly with mutual acquaintances or in situations where it’s essential to safeguard your reputation.
2. Gather Evidence
Collect evidence, such as emails, texts, social media posts, or witness accounts, that contradicts the false narrative being spread about you. Documentation can be crucial in defending yourself, especially in legal situations.
In severe cases where the smear campaign has legal implications or causes significant harm, seeking legal advice might be necessary. Defamation laws may apply depending on the situation.
3. Maintain Boundaries
If possible, limit or cut off direct contact with the individual orchestrating the smear campaign. Boundaries can help minimize further manipulation or emotional distress.
4. Damage Control
Do what you can to control the damage without retaliating directly. This may involve contacting your friends, colleagues, and co-workers, managing your social media accounts, and collecting evidence.
5. Focus on Self-Care
Focus on your mental and emotional well-being. Engage in self-care activities that help you manage stress, anxiety, or any emotional toll the smear campaign might be causing.
Remember that the smear campaign reflects more on the manipulator’s character than yours. Focus on your values, integrity, and personal growth, rising above the negativity.
6. Seek Support
Surround yourself with a support network of friends or family who can provide emotional support and help you navigate the situation. Having a strong support system is crucial during such challenging times.
It might also be useful to speak to a professional about what is happening. A therapist or psychologist can listen from a neutral standpoint and provide you with helpful tools.
It may also be apt to seek legal advice to determine whether there is any action you might want to take against the perpetrator.
Julia Simkus edited this article.
Sources
Durvasula, R. (Oct 10, 2022). Are Smear Campaigns Large Scale Gaslighting? YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O0KV_fMxOw
Fanti, K. A., & Henrich, C. C. (2015). Effects of Self-Esteem and Narcissism on Bullying and Victimization During Early Adolescence. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 35(1), 5–29.
Ruiz, Lindsay, “A Hidden Virus: Looking for Evidence of Narcissistic Abuse in the Workplace” (2021). Education Doctoral Dissertations in Organization Development. 79.
