Narcissistic Abuse : Control of Enablers and Flying Monkeys through Financial Manipulation

Narcissists often use financial and business deals as another form of manipulation to control their enablers and flying monkeys. Here’s how they do it:

1. Offering Financial Rewards and Gifts

Narcissists know that people can be swayed by material benefits, so they often shower enablers or flying monkeys with gifts, money, or business opportunities. They may buy their loyalty by giving them access to financial rewards that seem generous or extravagant. These rewards create a sense of indebtedness in the recipient, making it harder for them to say no to the narcissist's requests or recognize when they are being used. The narcissist will leverage this generosity to secure compliance or to get the individual to carry out unethical or harmful actions, making them feel as though they owe the narcissist something in return.

2. Creating False Sense of Dependency Through Business Deals

A narcissist may offer lucrative business deals or financial opportunities to an enabler or flying monkey, but these deals often come with strings attached. By drawing people into joint ventures, investments, or business partnerships, narcissists create a financial dependency, where the enabler or flying monkey feels that their livelihood or success is tied to maintaining a good relationship with the narcissist. These deals are often one-sided, benefiting the narcissist while leaving the enabler stuck in a difficult, exploitative situation. The narcissist may also use these opportunities to sabotage the enabler’s other business or career options, ensuring that they feel trapped and beholden to the narcissist for financial stability.

3. Creating Financial Obligations

Another common tactic is to lend money or invest in a business project that benefits the narcissist, positioning the enabler or flying monkey in a financial obligation to them. The narcissist will make it seem like the enabler has received a great deal, but in reality, they may structure the loan or deal in such a way that it’s hard to pay back or terms are overly demanding. The enabler becomes emotionally and financially trapped, believing that they can’t walk away from the narcissist without facing significant losses or consequences. This sense of financial entrapment strengthens the narcissist’s control over the enabler or flying monkey.

4. Using Financial Leverage to Get Compliance

When the narcissist is in a position of power, they may manipulate financial resources to force their enablers or flying monkeys to act according to their will. For example, the narcissist may promise financial support, a higher salary, or business advancement in exchange for helping them with morally or ethically questionable actions. Conversely, they may withhold money, business resources, or opportunities as a form of punishment or to force compliance. The enabler or flying monkey, motivated by the desire to secure their financial future or business success, feels pressured into following the narcissist's agenda without realizing they are being exploited.

5. Using Business Deals to Discredit or Control Others

Narcissists may also manipulate their enablers or flying monkeys through business or financial dealings that have a larger social or professional impact. For instance, the narcissist may involve an enabler in a business deal that indirectly leads to the discrediting or financial downfall of others, using them as pawns to sabotage competitors, undermine colleagues, or harm those who are perceived as threats. The narcissist may present the situation as a legitimate business decision or as part of an exclusive opportunity, but in reality, it’s about further consolidating their control while using the enabler to do their bidding. The enabler, influenced by the potential rewards, is often too focused on the financial gain to recognize the manipulation happening behind the scenes.

6. Playing the Victim to Secure Financial or Business Support

In business and financial matters, narcissists often play the victim to elicit sympathy or to justify their need for assistance. They might claim to be struggling financially, facing unfair business challenges, or being taken advantage of by others, and thus, they appeal to the enabler’s desire to "help" or "rescue" them. This can lead the enabler to become further emotionally and financially invested in the narcissist’s success. They might take on risky investments or provide loans, believing they are helping the narcissist out of a difficult situation, when in reality, the narcissist is manipulating them to strengthen their own position.

7. Creating False Hierarchies

Narcissists can also influence others by positioning themselves as a superior authority in financial or business matters. They might offer financial advice, mentorship, or exclusive business opportunities to their enablers and flying monkeys, making them feel indebted or inferior if they don’t comply. By cultivating a sense of hierarchy, the narcissist ensures that the enabler feels they owe their success or opportunities to the narcissist’s supposed wisdom or generosity. This power dynamic makes it harder for the enabler to question or walk away from the narcissist’s influence.

8. "Paying Back" Manipulation

Narcissists may employ the tactic of making their enablers or flying monkeys feel like they have “paid back” favors with financial or business deals. They might make grand gestures of financial help and later hold that help over the enabler's head, implying that they now owe the narcissist something in return. This can lead to a sense of guilt or obligation on the part of the enabler, who is then coerced into doing things for the narcissist that they wouldn’t otherwise do, simply to avoid feeling indebted.

Conclusion

By using financial resources or business deals, narcissists are able to create a strong sense of obligation in their enablers and flying monkeys. They may offer material rewards, create dependency, or force compliance through financial means, all while hiding their true manipulative intentions. Over time, this not only secures their control over others but also drags those around them into their karmic consequences, leaving enablers and flying monkeys trapped in cycles of manipulation, guilt, and exploitation. The narcissist, in the end, escapes unscathed, while the manipulated individuals are left facing the negative repercussions of their misguided loyalty and decisions.