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Verywell Mind
verywellmind.com › what-is-narcissistic-rage-5183744
Narcissistic Rage: Signs, Causes, Examples, and How to Cope
September 29, 2025 - Narcissistic rage is a term that ... refer to the tendency for people with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) to fly into a rage with what might seem like the slightest provocation or no obvious provocation at all...
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Psychology Today
psychologytoday.com › us › blog › communication-success › 201807 › 8-signs-of-narcissistic-rage
8 Signs of Narcissistic Rage | Psychology Today
July 8, 2018 - Narcissistic rage can be defined as intense anger, aggression, or passive-aggression when a narcissist experiences a setback or disappointment.
Discussions

"Narcissistic rage" -- is it really a thing?
Narc rage, for me, is like I turn into a toddler incapable of understanding why I'm not getting my way, why I'm being criticized, whatever the trigger- the main feel is "it's not fair and I'm entitled to everything being fair" and I often will make others around me miserable in an attempt to make them understand the level of pain I'm in. Only once the other person is broken or crying do I feel better. It's like a high and instantly I'm fine again. And in that moment I struggle to understand why the other person is upset, cause I'm over it why aren't you? It's illogical and abusive. I don't hate the person so much as want them to fucking walk in my shoes and will do anything to make that happen. Once that happens I'm cool with them. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/AskNPD
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March 16, 2021
Narcissistic rage
Yes. Happens when an insecurity is triggered. This often has to do with a grandiose self-image thing such as appearance (that’s one of mine) or other things (wealth, status, relationships etc). People don’t tend to deliberately set you off, but even a passing comment or mild criticism can make that grandiose image (which is very fragile) start to crumble, and I think that sets off an internal panic, which tends to come out as all kinds of rage. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/narcissism
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May 30, 2021
How do you handle the narcissistic rage when living with a nfamily?

Alright, thank you. Definitely not what wanted to hear but I think understand what you mean. If I were to reword your point it would read as: "you don't need to like someone in order to be respectful", like how a cashier calmly deals a difficult customer? Am I getting your message?

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/LifeAfterNarcissism
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January 18, 2021
What does narcissistic rage look like? Are there examples?
I don’t think it’s something you can find video examples on. N abuse happens over time and can be subtle at times too. ( like gaslighting) You’re not going to find video examples of the abuse because it’s psychological and can’t be visually seen. My mom just screams and then fake cries then she texts nasty messages saying that she will call the police on me and that there is something wrong with me ( projecting, shifting blame, and empty threats that she knows will scare me) She once screamed at me that she was going to get rid of the family dogs that I adore. So yeah she’s abusive and an N. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/raisedbynarcissists
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May 12, 2018

shame that devastates an individual's self worth

In psychology, narcissistic injury, also known as narcissistic wound or wounded ego, is emotional trauma that overwhelms an individual's defense mechanisms and devastates their pride and self-worth. In some cases, the shame … Wikipedia
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Narcissistic_injury
Narcissistic injury - Wikipedia
1 month ago - Extreme mood swings. Outbursts of rage or silence are commonly seen in people with narcissistic personality disorder. Some experiences that can affect this are threats to their self-esteem or when they are not given the attention or wants they think they deserve.
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PubMed Central
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC9709537
An Appraisal of Narcissistic Rage Through Path Modeling - PMC
According to Kohut, narcissistic rage is a distinct type of aggression, mixed with anger and destruction, in which aggression defends a grandiose self-overwhelmed by anger, mistrust, and shame (Krizan & Johar, 2015). This rage usually acts as a response to threatened egotism (Kjærvik & Bushman, ...
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Calm
calm.com › blog › narcissistic-rage
What is narcissistic rage? Plus, 10 tips for responding to it — Calm Blog
August 7, 2025 - Narcissistic rage can manifest in several different forms, from intense emotional outbursts—mostly driven by anger or rage—to manipulative tactics that question the reliability and accuracy of others’ memories, emotions, or experiences.
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Choosing Therapy
choosingtherapy.com › narcissistic-rage
Narcissistic Rage: Signs, Triggers, & How to Respond
February 11, 2025 - Narcissistic rage is an intense reaction triggered when a narcissist’s inflated sense of self-importance is challenged. This extreme anger can result from criticism, loss of control, or even minor setbacks, making it a terrifying experience for those on the receiving end of narcissist rage. ...
Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/asknpd › "narcissistic rage" -- is it really a thing?
r/AskNPD on Reddit: "Narcissistic rage" -- is it really a thing?
March 16, 2021 -

After recently realizing that experience in my life fits pretty closely to what is perceived to be NPD symptoms, I started googling NPD and related problems and found this concept of "narcissistic rage".

I'm not sure in scientific correctness but the description definitely fits what I've been dealing with.

"My" scenario:

Basically my NPD-suspect person would get really angry for different trivial things or (more commonly) without stating the exact reason.

Usually couple of weeks prior to that they just colder, again without explaining any reason, just gradually colder and colder. Attempts to find out what was wrong or offer help only made things worse (I wish they told me that NPD or similar problems exist in school or something, but I'm from shithole anyway).

Eventually they just go raging.

Their state become uncontrollable, whatever I attempt to say is just met with anger, insults, attempts to hurt me (physically I'm safe, but emotionally... before I learned that NPD/BPD could be a thing I was just plain destroyed) as much as possible, being really mean, mocking my illnesses, etc.

No matter what I try to say (and I really don't answer with same, I just curl up and beg them to calm down -- "NO YOU FU*KING CALM DOWN, I'M CALM" is usual answer.

Maximum rage situation usually ends with me being blocked, driven away, etc.
This often happens just couple of weeks after they say convince me this will never happen again (or, the first time, just few days after they themselves approached me to watch stuff together, like everything's nice).

Of course so far they've come back after weeks/months with another "supply" I assume.

But during the rage as if there's no memory of anything good that happened (or could still happen) I'm just powerless to stop them, the only healthy situation when I'd assume such could happen would be when they really HATE me.

This fits what I read about "splitting" and NPD-people allegedly not being able to accept someone as both good and bad at the same time (but I'm not expert and not claiming that it's actual thing common to all NPD, please don't beat me up, I already get enough violence from an NPD-ish person I know).

Questions:

  • Is it real? (seems quite common if I read posts about abuse);

  • Have you ever experienced it? (Following questions are for the case if you have):

  • If you're okay with it could you please help by sharing your point of view -- what is it like? Is it that bad? You really hate the person and do not recall anything positive about them? Or is it just a "tactics" to get rid of unusable "supply" sooner?

  • Can something be done to calm such person down if the rage has already been triggered (I believe nothing can be done to prevent it as there is never a definite answer what exactly causes it anyway, could be a thing which was normal just 2 days prior).

  • Is there some cooldown period after which such person would be able to perceive me as "not 100% bad" person? Could something be done to accelerate it.
    Or should I assume they "hate" me only when they find no use for me but when they're desperate for whatever I can give them they would pretend they forget their hatred/sincerely forget about their hatered?

Sorry for such questions, I'm just frightened of the situation and would like to know as much as possible of the point of view of someone who could've experienced it because articles like "Run, they'll kill you" are not incorrect but not too helpful if I cannot/don't want to run yet.

Thank you.

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Talkspace
talkspace.com › conditions › articles › narcissistic rage: identifying & protecting yourself from it
Narcissistic Rage: Identifying & Protecting Yourself — Talkspace
September 16, 2025 - It often shows up as verbal attacks, blame-shifting, demeaning behavior, or emotional retaliation, and typically follows a recurring cycle of threat → rage → punishment → cooldown → repeat. The most common triggers of narcissistic rage include criticism, rejection, failure, betrayal, or feeling inferior, all of which threaten the narcissist’s fragile self-image.
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PubMed
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › 25545840
Narcissistic rage revisited - PubMed
Narcissists are thought to exhibit "narcissistic rage," an explosive mix of anger and hostility arising from threats to narcissists' fractured sense of self. Building on clinical views of narcissism, we present empirical evidence on the nature ...
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Caminos Recovery
caminorecovery.com › home › mental health › narcissism and anger: how to protect yourself from the angry narcissist
Narcissism and Anger: How to Protect Yourself From the Angry Narcissist | Camino Recovery Spain
August 4, 2023 - When people with NPD don't get their way or feel slighted by others, this may cause them to fly off the handle and engage in narcissistic rage.
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Physis
physisconsultancy.co.uk › home › blog › the shame rage spiral of the narcissist
The shame rage spiral of the narcissist - Physis
February 7, 2023 - The need for revenge; for righting a wrong; for undoing a hurt by whatever means; and a deeply anchored unrelenting compulsion in pursuit of all of these aims are the characteristics of narcissistic rage in all its forms.
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Healthline
healthline.com › health › mental-health › narcissistic-rage
What Is Narcissistic Rage, and What’s the Best Way to Deal with It?
May 15, 2020 - Narcissistic rage is an outburst of intense anger or silence that can happen to someone with narcissistic personality disorder.
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Vaknin Talks
vaknin-talks.com › transcripts › How_YOU_INFURIATE_the_Narcissist_Narcissistic_Rage
How YOU INFURIATE the Narcissist (Narcissistic Rage) | Vaknin Talks
Narcissistic rage is a reaction that occurs when a narcissist feels their grandiose self-image is threatened, often resulting in explosive outbursts or passive-aggressive behavior. This rage can be triggered by various factors, including challenges to their self-concept, reminders of their ...
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Quora
quora.com › Is-narcissistic-rage-genuine-anger-or-is-it-just-a-means-to-punish-you
Is narcissistic rage genuine anger, or is it just a means to punish you? - Quora
Answer (1 of 14): Narcissists is a curse on humanity. Narcissist are only there to make you feel bad about yourself, ashamed of yourself, make you feel guilty and to make your self esteem lower. Actually theirs nothing bad about a person but narcissist are master at turning the tables and make ...
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Narcissistic_personality_disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder - Wikipedia
4 days ago - The term narcissistic rage was a concept introduced by Heinz Kohut in 1972. Narcissistic rage was theorised as a reaction to a perceived threat to a narcissist's self-esteem or self-worth.
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BetterHelp
betterhelp.com › advice › anger › causes-of-narcissistic-rage
Causes Of Narcissistic Rage | BetterHelp
1 month ago - When you feel like people are questioning your abilities and skills or that you aren’t getting the appreciation and recognition that you deserve, it can stir up a lot of emotions, which can result in narcissistic rage. While emotions themselves aren’t wrong, it’s possible that they can lead you astray when not properly controlled.
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Simply Psychology
simplypsychology.org › relationships › unhealthy relationships › narcissistic rage: signs, causes, examples, & how to cope
What is Narcissistic Rage: How to Protect Yourself From the Angry Narcissist
May 6, 2025 - Narcissistic rage refers to an intense, exploitive, and often out-of-control reaction exhibited by individuals with narcissistic personality traits or narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) when they perceive a threat to their self-esteem, self-worth, or grandiose self-image.
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After Psychotherapy
afterpsychotherapy.com › home › depression and bipolar disorder › narcissistic rage and the sense of entitlement
Narcissistic Rage and the Sense of Entitlement - After Psychotherapy
April 10, 2013 - In other posts, I’ve talked about the function of hatred and anger as a kind of psychic glue in the face of disintegration anxiety; I’ve tried to make room for the idea that rage, as destructive as its external effects may be, sometimes serves a positive psychic function when the alternative is the terror of a kind of psychic death. Likewise, rage may function as a defense against shame that feels unbearable. These two are connected: shame, as I discussed in my early post on basic or toxic shame, is the emotional expression of our sense that we are damaged; that sense of damage can mean that the self is felt to be in pieces, in danger of collapse. Hatred, anger and rage serve a defensive and cohesive function for these conditions, especially when there has been a narcissistic injury to one’s sense of self that stirs up unbearable shame.
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Opportunistic Thinking
drgeorgesimon.com › home › latest posts › understanding covert subtle narcissistic rage
Understanding Covert Subtle Narcissistic Rage - Character Matters
May 12, 2020 - Subtle narcissistic rage is just as its title implies. It's rage subtly expressed. Sometimes, it's deliberately kept under cover, which makes it covert.
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Medical News Today
medicalnewstoday.com › articles › narcissistic-rage
Narcissistic rage: Signs, causes, and support
August 22, 2023 - Narcissistic rage describes a person with NPD who erupts into fits of anger at the slightest provocation or without any apparent reason.