"He knows not how to rule a kingdom, that cannot manage a province;
nor can he wield a province, that cannot order a city; nor he order
a city, that knows not how to regulate a village; nor he a village,
that cannot guide a family; nor can that man govern well a family
that knows not how to govern himself; neither can any govern himself
unless his reason be lord, will and appetite her vassals; nor can
reason rule unless herself be ruled by God, and be obedient to Him."

Hugo Grotius

Being in a position of authority secures the uninterrupted flow of
Narcissistic Supply. Fed by the awe, fear, subordination,
admiration, adoration and obedience of his underlings, parish,
students, or patients - the narcissist thrives in such
circumstances. The narcissist aspires to acquire authority by any
means available to him. He may achieve this by making use of some
outstanding traits or skills such as his intelligence, or through an
asymmetry built into a relationship. The narcissistic medical doctor
or mental health professional and his patients, the narcissistic
guide, teacher, or mentor and his students, the narcissistic leader,
guru, pundit, or psychic and his followers or admirers, or the
narcissistic business tycoon, boss, or employer and his
subordinates - all are instances of such asymmetries. The rich,
powerful, more knowledgeable narcissist occupy a Pathological
Narcissistic Space.

These types of relationships - based on the unidirectional and
unilateral flow of Narcissistic Supply - border on abuse. The
narcissist, in pursuit of an ever-increasing supply, of an ever- larger dose of adoration, and an ever-bigger fix of attention -
gradually loses his moral constraints. With time, it gets harder to
obtain Narcissistic Supply. The sources of such supply are human and
they become weary, rebellious, tired, bored, disgusted, repelled, or
plainly amused by the narcissist's incessant dependence, his
childish craving for attention, his exaggerated or even paranoid
fears which lead to obsessive-compulsive behaviours. To secure their
continued collaboration in the procurement of his much-needed
supply - the narcissist might resort to emotional extortion,
straight blackmail, abuse, or misuse of his authority.

The temptation to do so, though, is universal. No doctor is immune
to the charms of certain female patients, nor are university
professors asexual. What prevent them from immorally, cynically,
callously and consistently abusing their position are ethical
imperatives embedded in them through socialisation and empathy. They
learned the difference between right and wrong and, having
internalised it, they choose right when they face a moral dilemma.
They empathise with other human beings, "putting themselves in their
shoes", and refrain from doing unto others what they do not wish to
be done to them.

It is in these two crucial points that narcissists differ from other
humans.

Their socialisation process - usually the product of problematic
early relationships with Primary Objects (parents, or caregivers) -
is often perturbed and results in social dysfunctioning. And they
are incapable of empathising: humans are there only to supply them
with Narcissistic Supply. Those unfortunate humans who do not comply
with this overriding dictum must be made to alter their ways and if
even this fails, the narcissist loses interest in them and they are
classified as "sub-human, animals, service-providers, functions,
symbols" and worse. Hence the abrupt shifts from over-valuation to
devaluation of others. While bearing the gifts of Narcissistic
Supply - the "other" is idealised by the narcissist. The narcissist
shifts to the opposite pole (devaluation) when Narcissistic Supply
dries up or when he estimates that it is about to.

As far as the narcissist is concerned, there is no moral dimension
to abusing others - only a pragmatic one: will he be punished for
doing so? The narcissist is atavistically responsive to fear and
lacks any in-depth understanding of what it is to be a human being.
Trapped in his pathology, the narcissist resembles an alien on
drugs, a junkie of Narcissistic Supply devoid of the kind of
language, which renders human emotions intelligible.