Outsmarting Narcissists: The Praise or Provoke Trap

Ever feel like you’re talking to a wall when dealing with someone who just won’t take accountability? You might be dealing with a narcissist—or at least someone showing strong narcissistic behaviors. In this episode, I break down exactly how to talk to those people without losing your cool, your confidence, or your sanity. Whether this person is your boss, your sibling, or your partner—you’ll walk away from this episode knowing exactly how to protect your peace when things get heated. This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Upgrade Your Every Day. Get 40% off at cozyearth.com/jefferson or use code JEFFERSON at check out. https://cozyearth.com/pages/jefferson Relationships come with questions, therapy comes with answers. Find them with my sponsor BetterHelp. Click https://betterhelp.com/jeffersonfisher for a discount on your first month of therapy. Like what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a 5-star review! Order my new book, The Next Conversation, today! https://www.jeffersonfisher.com/book Suggest a topic or ask a question for me to answer on the show! https://www.jeffersonfisher.com/topic Want a FREE communication tip each week? Click here to join my newsletter. https://www.jeffersonfisher.com/newsletter Join my School of Communication. https://www.jeffersonfisher.com/membership Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jefferson_fisher Follow me on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@justaskjefferson?lang=en Follow me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffersonfisher/

Jefferson Fisherhost

Jun 3, 202520mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: June 3, 2025
Duration: 20m
Channel: The Jefferson Fisher Podcast
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Ever feel like you’re talking to a wall when dealing with someone who just won’t take accountability? You might be dealing with a narcissist—or at least someone showing strong narcissistic behaviors. In this episode, I break down exactly how to talk to those people without losing your cool, your confidence, or your sanity. Whether this person is your boss, your sibling, or your partner—you’ll walk away from this episode knowing exactly how to protect your peace when things get heated. This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Upgrade Your Every Day. Get 40% off at cozyearth.com/jefferson or use code JEFFERSON at check out. https://cozyearth.com/pages/jefferson Relationships come with questions, therapy comes with answers. Find them with my sponsor BetterHelp. Click https://betterhelp.com/jeffersonfisher for a discount on your first month of therapy. Like what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a 5-star review! Order my new book, The Next Conversation, today! https://www.jeffersonfisher.com/book Suggest a topic or ask a question for me to answer on the show! https://www.jeffersonfisher.com/topic Want a FREE communication tip each week? Click here to join my newsletter. https://www.jeffersonfisher.com/newsletter Join my School of Communication. https://www.jeffersonfisher.com/membership Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jefferson_fisher Follow me on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@justaskjefferson?lang=en Follow me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffersonfisher/

SPEAKERS

Jefferson Fisher
host
Communication coach and creator/host of the Jefferson Fisher channel, known for teaching practical conversation and conflict-resolution strategies.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Jefferson Fisher Podcast, featuring Jefferson Fisher, Outsmarting Narcissists: The Praise or Provoke Trap explores handle narcissists by avoiding their praise-or-provoke control game traps The speaker frames narcissistic interaction as a rigged “Praise or Provoke” game where you’re pushed to either flatter them or be baited into conflict.

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