Yes, narcissists may try to steal your friends from you, and there are several reasons behind this behavior:
Need for admiration and validation: Narcissists have an insatiable need for admiration and validation. By surrounding themselves with people who admire and adore them, including your friends, they bolster their fragile self-esteem and feed their sense of superiority.
Control and manipulation: Narcissists seek to control and manipulate others to maintain dominance over their social circles. If they can isolate you from your friends, they gain more control over your life and diminish any potential influences that may challenge or question their behavior.
Competition and envy: Narcissists often view relationships as competitive arenas. If they perceive your friendships as a potential threat to their status or attention, they may attempt to sabotage those connections to ensure that all the attention remains focused on them.
Diminishing your support system: By stealing your friends, the narcissist weakens your support network. When you feel isolated and lack emotional support, you may become more dependent on the narcissist, making it easier for them to manipulate and exploit you.
Enjoyment of power and manipulation: Manipulating others, including your friends, gives narcissists a sense of power and control. They enjoy the feeling of being able to influence people to bend to their will.
Provoking jealousy and drama: Narcissists may create jealousy and drama within social circles to generate attention and further reinforce their self-importance. Stealing your friends can be a way to instigate conflicts and drama, thereby positioning themselves as the center of attention.
Lacking empathy: Narcissists have difficulty empathizing with others, which means they might not understand or care about the emotional impact of their actions on you or your friendships.
It's important to be aware of these manipulative tendencies so that you can protect yourself and your friendships from the toxic influence of a narcissist. Maintaining healthy boundaries, recognizing red flags, and seeking support from trusted friends and family can help you navigate these challenging situations. If you suspect that you are dealing with a narcissist, consider seeking guidance from a mental health professional who can provide further insights and strategies for dealing with such individuals.