Son in the Shadows: "Navigating Life as the Black Sheep of Narcissistic Parents"

Since male narcissists care about their image so much, they only want to portray the role of a man in a cartoonish, over-dramatic way, so people can see them as fully competent. This is not the case as they always need someone to cheer them up and believe everything they say. It is not just romantic partners they act this way with, but also their mother, sister, aunts, etc. They also use them as tools to manipulate and hurt others. They create a sort of mini partnership with them. It resembles a Bonnie-and-Clyde-like dynamic.

A lot of times, you notice that some male narcissists lack male figures in their lives, which includes siblings, a parent, and friends. So they would recreate a male-to-male dynamic with the women in their lives.