The narcissist does not realise his potentials because he needs to work with others to do so. But he avoids getting involved in order to forestall pain and self-destruction (in the wake of abandonment). The narcissist's schizoid reclusiveness is an act of self-preservation. One can convincingly argue that the narcissist's self-destructive streak is better manifested in the way he secures NSSs.

The narcissist assumes that he is so unique that his uniqueness is enough to establish his position as entitled to special treatment - even without actually creating or achieving anything (works of art, fathering children, making a home, building a business, maintaining a relationship).

The narcissist deserves of Narcissistic Supply (adulation, attention) by virtue of merely existing and due to the complexity of his special personal history. By refraining from doing and from acting, the narcissist avoids narcissistic injuries. The narcissist never invests in anything and never perseveres - so he never gets emotionally attached to anything.

Still, we must differentiate between the actor's (FEGO's) role and his function (the function of the whole personality, or of the TEGO).

The FEGO's role involves low emotional investment and emphasises yields in terms of Narcissistic Supply and the consumption of that supply. It is characterised by ego-dystony.

The TEGO's function calls for a high level of emotional involvement, yields in terms of Narcissistic Supply are a marginal consideration and it fosters high ego-syntony.

The repertoire of possible roles adopted by the narcissist's FEGO is enormous. The more characteristic are:

• Crook, dangerous, unpredictable, verbally violent, deterring;
• Businessman, rich, well connected, powerful;
• Genius, innovator, encyclopaedic;
• Revolutionary, reformer, non-conformist, rebellious;
• Asexual, monkish, pervert;
• Author, intellectual, bohemian, artist;
• Family man, father, sage, experienced, stable, and authoritative;
• Charming, childish, honest, open, innocent, vulnerable, requires assistance and support.

Narcissists deceive their environment in more than one way. Even when they express emotions it is because they have discovered the efficacy of this tactic in obtaining Narcissistic Supply (NS). The emotions used and expressed are part of a role played - as are the narcissist's creativity and social interactions.

Every resource at the narcissist's disposal is mobilised and subjected to the overriding goal of obtaining PNSSs and SNSSs. The narcissist says all the right things but in such a manner that they sound hollow. Thus, when the narcissist says: "I love you" he really means: "I depend on you for the stabilisation of my Narcissistic Supply and for the accumulation of supply."

People feel that something is amiss but they can't put their finger on it. So they keep their distance from the narcissist, or abandon him altogether thus reinforcing the Narcissistic Cycle and, unwittingly, participating in it. The FEGO's role is to successfully limit social interactions to the plane of NS and to secure the denouement: the abandonment of the narcissist. It also helps contain the resulting emotional or narcissistic damage. The narcissist can always pretend that it is all a game to him.

His abandonment leads the narcissist down a straight path to Loss Dysphoria and from there to the Reactive Repertoire. The Reactive Repertoire contains two categories of behaviour patterns:

The first category is characterised by a denial of reality, reclusive behaviour, disintimisation, aberrant sexual practices, and by the avoidance of intimacy.

These behaviours are common once a Grandiosity Gap emerges and leads to a continuous conflict with reality. This friction shatters the illusion of virtual normalcy. The loss of some of the grandiose fantasies in conjunction with more practical costs due to the narcissist's seclusion lead to a Loss Dysphoria and to the Reactive Repertoire.

The behaviours in this first group are typical of states of uncertainty and of transition between Pathological Narcissistic Spaces (PN Spaces).

The second category of behaviours is comprised of escape, change (of place, job, or vocation), displacement of grandiose fantasies and the development of an alternative PN Space. These are intended to close the problematic Grandiosity Gap and to match reality and fantasy.

Yet, nothing can prevent the eruption of a Deficiency Dysphoria and the impulse to secure PNSSs in the alternative PN Space. If the development of an alternative PN Space is not possible, the narcissist exhibits symptoms of a Deficiency Dysphoria - but only after a while. The reason for the delay: the narcissist has an "alibi" for the absence of Narcissistic Supply - he lost one PN Space and has not, as yet, developed another.

Failing to obtain SNSSs leads to an inability to complete the Narcissistic Cycle and to a Loop of Grandiosity Compensation. The functions of the SNSSs are performed through intricate Feedback Loops that monitor and regulate the stabilisation mechanisms.

The absence or malfunctioning of these feedback mechanisms lead the narcissist down the dangerous path of excessive Grandiosity Compensation and thenceforth to subsequent and resultant losses and to a Loss Dysphoria.