Martyr Narcissist

A form of Covert Narcissism commonly known as Noble Narcissism, Martyr Narcissists will appear to others initially as a helper and self-sacrificing. This behavior is often motivated by the need for admiration, acknowledgement or praise rather than actually helping the individual(s) in need. Martyr Narcissists are experts with PR in their communities and often easily fool unsuspecting people who may know them on a surface level. This type of Narcissist is considered part of covert narcissism, which is more dangerous than Overt Narcissism.

Martyr Narcissists utilize self-perceived victimhood to garner the attention of others for validation or sympathy. They may use examples of hardships as a way to elicit emotions and garner trust from strangers. Rather than being altruistic, they look for acknowledgement over efforts regardless of the outcome of the individual(s) they supposedly helped.

Sue runs a suicide prevention 501(c)(3) but is unable to provide documentation showing her organization's mission is actually effective. Most of Sue's funding goes towards her personal income. She has received acknowledgment of her efforts on a state level and in her community. Sue has many extended family members that have suicidal ideation due to her unhealthy family's abuse cycle and her active roles in perpetuating abuse dynamics. Sue also believes her ability to self-serve/help others supersedes the credentials of mental health professionals trying to help the same demographic.

Example: Sue told a child rape victim she "asked for it," because the perpetrator was Sue's adult brother. She assisted in silencing the child due to the risk of her family's reputation of severe alcoholism, repeat sexual assault/incest, and abuse becoming public. She even went so far as convincing the victim's father to donate his estate to her organization. If the public discovered the unethical behavior to this child and other family members, this would jeopardize her ability to garner sympathy for her 501(c)(3). Sue is a classic example of a highly functional Martyr Narcissist and will likely never be investigated or found out due to her ability to abuse her victims into silence. Sue uses the her public persona as a means to gaslight her victims.