Cooperation as Warfare 🛡️⚔️: Navigating the Zero Sum Defiance of Narcissism

These sources analyze the narcissistic worldview, explaining why they perceive cooperation and compromise not as beneficial collaboration but as a zero-sum **battle of wills** aimed at **subjugation and humiliation**. According to the texts, the narcissist frames every interaction as a **power transaction**, causing them to view offers of understanding as a **ruse** or tactic for control. The texts explore the psychological roots of this behavior, noting that for many narcissists, this reflexive stubbornness stems from early environments where **control equaled survival**, making **yielding feel like vulnerability**. This mindset results in **false empowerment**, wherein they assert defiance over trivial matters to maintain an illusion of **unassailable autonomy**, often sacrificing genuine connection for an internal sense of victory.