"Stress changes the truth for itself; peace changes itself for the truth" - Jwyan C. Johnson
Definitions and examples to the following terms associated with Narcissistic Personality Disorder and emotional abuse are included inside the book in the Dictionary of Terms section.
Puzzle Piece: Breadcrumbing
"You deny 'em water,” he says, “If you're their source of water, they'll respect you!” -
That was Frank from the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond (in character). And this strategy is Breadcrumbing. It’s the process of monopolizing their Target's emotional needs. Then the Narcissist holds their Target's satisfaction for ransom. So obedience receives mere breadcrumb servings of validation, which keeps them addicted. The only thing more alarming is that these emotional abusers realize exactly what they’re doing. They planned this out of a fear of rejection, an appetite to control, and their pathological need to keep this cycle going.
Inside the riddle, if you remember, Manny was only joking to his blind date about those mysterious breadcrumbs on the table. But he turned out to be right! Also the timing of him being right is another aspect of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. To avoid suffering from Breadcrumbing, simply use the Stone Wall Monopoly technique (located in the book). And you’ll escape these toxic tactics and consequences. No more emotionally unfair hunger.
Puzzle Piece: Affiliation
Inside the riddle, the other customers were psychologically animated by co-dependency. And in these types of people is an invisible goal, as you saw, which boils down to a defense mechanism called Affiliation. From Flying Monkeys to Triangulation, wisdom reveals both their envy and fear of your emotional independence. So these narcissistic deflections Janine experienced inside the riddle were for the same reason. Don’t fall for it.
Affiliation is a campaign of false unity while suffering a bad predicament, to avoid taking the steps necessary to change it. People first convince themselves that everyone shares that same problem (with a few avid pretenders). And things are therefore as good as it gets. Although ineffective to their real situation, the psychological convenience becomes a placebo to their unwillingness to change or set boundaries. But the “side-effect” of this fruitless nature is incredibly isolating. People who practice Affiliation only associate with others who think the same way, unless they can trick others into endorsing sloth! And they can be quite contagious. Just as second-hand smoke is worse the smoking, these toxic people can be fatal to your potential, your philosophy, and your ambitions. So avoid them for your emotional health.
Puzzle Piece : Manipulation
Notice in this psychologically-animated riddle that manipulation didn’t happen immediately; that’s no coincidence. Instead mystery circled around this dating couple only after they sat down. As they “got comfortable,” it was a cue for another piece of this emotional puzzle. Tactics of manipulation like Gaslighting, Word Salad, and Stonewalling came suddenly to this blind date. Now you found out the real intention at the end. But adding to the moral: if your only relationship role is a blind obedient puppet who’s always there, then you’re probably in an emotional unhealthy relationship. If this is you or someone you know, take Manny’s advice at the end.
Puzzle Piece: Gaslighting
It would be funner to explain it in another fun psychological riddle. The Puppet Master is a spinoff of from the original riddle of The Starving Restaurant. Click here to learn more!
More Puzzles
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
From Missing Piece... to Missing Peace?
Let's explore the "special puzzle pieces of peace": awareness.
Why Won't These Puzzle Pieces "Fit In?"
On the incredible "firm" foundation of life, there are some puzzle pieces that don't seem to 'fit in.' And if we're not careful, these "special pieces will become hammered in by emotional abuse and maybe worst when trying put together a puzzle of social interaction. Some of these "special puzzle pieces" are conditions like Attention Deficit Disorder, Autism, and Asperger's Syndrome. Only awareness can fit these pieces in! An now you have that opportunity!
References:
Johnson, Jwyan C. (2014) The Lawyer's Lullaby
ISBN: 978-0615976969 WordPlay 2: New Christian Parables
Inside the Riddle Puzzle Pieces
Top 5 Apology Signs
Toxic Relationship Signs Psychology and Popcorn
