How the Narcissistic Abuse Cycle Keeps Us From Leaving
The primary model that has been offered for how narcissists abuse their partners is the three-stage idealize-devalue-discard narcissistic abuse cycle. It has some similarities to the traditional cycle of abuse in domestic violence situations, which was first developed in 1979 by Lenore Walker. Walker’s model was characterized by three phases: (1) Tension-building stage: the abused partner is submissive and walks on eggshells to avoid an outburst; the abusive partner becomes increasingly demanding, controlling and irritable; (2) Violent episode: erupts after the tension builds to a high point, where the abused partner may fight back or try to get away; and...