When frustrated, he withdraws his love and resorts to rage and projection. He provides very little emotional satisfaction for his partner, yet he demands her perfect responsiveness. Narcissists deny the real self and love their image, persona, perfect false self. They need to cover up the pain of having been bent and molded into certain images in order to make parents happy. This denial creates an insensitivity to one's own needs and the needs of others.
Narcissists deny depression, social and environmental traumas.
Yet, they are very vulnerable, like a turtle who fears injury to its soft spots, but denies it. Narcissists identify less with feelings and more with logic and success. At the same time, there may be an unacknowledged envy of those people who possess emotional accessibility and a capacity for empathy. The male narcissist may suffer from emotional immaturity while being over-responsible in performance task areas. He is immune and numb to his own pain and the pain of others.