Individuals with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) may exhibit different behaviors when it comes to their interactions with others, including "supplies" (often referred to as "narcissistic supply" for NPD).
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD): People with NPD often have an excessive need for admiration, a grandiose sense of self-importance, and a lack of empathy for others. They seek admiration and validation from others to bolster their fragile self-esteem. "Narcissistic supply" refers to the attention, admiration, or validation they receive from others, which helps to maintain their self-image.
When a person with NPD discards a source of narcissistic supply, it may be because they feel the individual is no longer serving their needs or providing the desired level of admiration or attention. In such cases, they might "discard" the person without much regard for their feelings or well-being.
After the discard, some individuals with NPD may try to retrieve the source of supply if they believe that person can still provide the validation and admiration they desire. They might attempt to hoover or manipulate the person back into their lives, using tactics such as love-bombing, gaslighting, or guilt-tripping. This cycle of idealizing, devaluing, and hoovering is a common pattern in some NPD relationships.
- Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD): People with ASPD have a pattern of disregarding the rights of others, lack of empathy, and a tendency to engage in manipulative and exploitative behaviors. Their relationships are often characterized by a lack of emotional attachment and an instrumental view of others (seeing them as tools or resources to achieve their goals).
In the context of ASPD, the concept of "supply" is not commonly used, as it is in NPD. Instead, individuals with ASPD may use others for personal gain, and when someone is no longer useful to them, they may discard or disregard that person without much concern for the consequences.
In summary, both NPD and ASPD individuals can have exploitative tendencies in their relationships, but their motivations and behaviors differ. While people with NPD seek narcissistic supply (admiration, validation), those with ASPD may use others as tools for their own gain. If someone is discarded by an individual with NPD, they may try to retrieve that person back if they believe they can still provide the desired admiration and validation. On the other hand, someone discarded by a person with ASPD may be left behind with little to no attempt at retrieval, as relationships are typically more instrumental and devoid of emotional attachment.