How Does a Narcissist Deal with Divorce?

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Aug 6, 2020 | Sara Khaki

Divorce can be a scary and difficult time for many people. While some divorces only involve estranged spouses, others require the involvement of children, friends, and family. The emotional strain placed on a family can be even greater when a divorce involves a narcissist.

Spouses with this personality disorder often feel entitlement and importance during divorce proceedings. They may go to great lengths to fight their ex at every opportunity with controlling behavior and manipulative communication tactics. Throughout the process, you may feel defeated at times and like they’ve won regardless of the actual case outcome.

If you are preparing to divorce or in the process of divorcing a narcissist, contact our firm for assistance. The Atlanta Divorce Law Group has experience handling narcissistic divorces and can help you understand how a narcissist deals with divorce.

Everything Revolves around Them

Narcissists are self-centered by definition. They typically lack empathy to some degree and may be capable of hurting anyone to get what they want. In a situation as divisive as divorce, people with this personality disorder have a propensity to show their true colors.

Children are often used as pawns by a narcissistic parent to achieve a better settlement in court. Narcissists also tend to bring multiple parties into the courtroom to achieve a sense of control in an otherwise arbitrary situation.

Sees Divorce as a Game

Despite divorce being stressful for everyone involved, a narcissist may see this as a challenge to defeat you. They may go to great lengths to “win” the divorce settlement. This could mean refusing to negotiate and spinning lies, or even hiding assets.

A divorcee with this personality disorder may even enjoy watching you unravel while they maintain composure. To extend the “game,” your ex may file unnecessary motions or delays to further exhaust and control you.

If this happens, discuss the situation with your divorce attorney. Our knowledgeable attorneys have years of experience in how to successful finalize a divorce when the opposing party is a narcissist.

Views Themselves as the Victim

Narcissistic spouses typically make themselves out to be the victim in all circumstances and seldom admit to the facts of the case. They may put on a confident and charismatic persona to help cover their true intentions as well as any signs of narcissism. For some spectators, they may not see through this guise of innocence and view the spouse as a well-meaning victim.

If your divorce case involves this type of narcissistic behavior, consider reviewing your options with a local lawyer. A performance can only go so far, and strategic presentation of the facts can help illustrate who the narcissist really is during a divorce case.

Tries to Turn Everyone against You

Your ex’s effort against you may not end in the courtroom. A narcissistic spouse is likely to use every interaction to try to turn children, friends, and even family members against you. This can include verbal, email, text, and social media manipulation.

When possible, record instances of disparaging communications from your ex, especially if it involves your kids. Do not respond with hate or provocation. Being the “bigger person” during a divorce battle can pay dividends at the end of your case.

The Best Way to Deal with a Narcissist in a Divorce

Connecting with an experienced family lawyer can help you navigate a difficult divorce case and achieve the best result possible. Our legal team can help identify narcissistic behavior during a divorce trial.

With the Atlanta Divorce Law Group’s years of experience in divorce litigation, we can help you better represent your case and expose your ex’s narcissistic behavior. Contact our hardworking attorneys to learn more about how a narcissistic spouse deals with divorce.


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