Before reading this article, the reader is encouraged to read Paradigm and especially Narcissistic Paradigm articles. The latter explains how a host of such a paradigm sees the world, and how it climbs all kinds of structures in order to get on top, or at least in control. The sole purpose of this is to get narcissistic supply. Narcissistic Pyramid article describes how this is done on multiple levels, all the way to a global one.
Any group is prone to narcissist take-over. That does not mean that every group does. It means that every group will be a target of a narcissist. History teaches us that such eventually happens, even if it takes decades. Once a group is led by a narcissist, it becomes a cult. Because at that point, members of the group serve one and only one function: source of narcissistic supply. Everything else is secondary.
However, remember that Narcissistic Paradigm is highly deceptive. It is enormously skillful at portraying itself as good and fighting a good cause. It is skillful at gas-lighting and inducing psychosis in its targets who then become Flying Monkeys.
An example: #MeToo
#MeToo movement was initiated by Tarana Burke in order to expose and address sexual abuse of (sexually abused) women. We truly believe this was its initial intent. Advocacy group for victims of abuse by weak men with Narcissistic Paradigm that act out through sexually attacking women. The victims, many times suppressed, coerced, intimidated did not have a voice and many times went to the background with their trauma and pain as they knew addressing it backfires and makes things worse. Tarana Burke, credit to her strength, initiated the movement and went against the paradigm.
The movement attracted a lot of victims of such abuse as it gave them voice and advocacy. As it grew in size and publicity (and donations) it has also attracted people with Narcissistic Paradigm. The exposure, power, publicity that it started to be able to provide did not go unnoticed to narcissists. That was first potential source of narcissistic supply. Then, women with Narcissistic Paradigm could use the vehicle to attack men, by mere allegations. That was a second type of potential source of narcissistic supply. The group started to transform from 'fighting abuse' to 'enabling abuse'. The abuse however was shifted from women to men. So the abused women (ones that did not heal and were bitter and angry - and we understand the trauma and thus where those feelings came from) had a channel to express their hate and anger. The movement provided fuel to the fire. The hate magnified. The persecution started. Remember that Narcissistic Paradigm has a persecutory element that it desperately needs. That is the most prevalent marker of the hosts of the paradigm. The persecution is very well described by Solzhenitsyn in Gulag Archipelago.
Outside of the obvious problem with the above, such a movement with hate focus will support the victim's Paradigm and keep it within its Paradigm Blindness. In other words, as long as the victim focuses and hates someone else (abuser), we do not have to deal with self. So healing doesn't happen. One doesn't have to confront self. Yet, this is exactly what the Narcissistic Paradigm wants. So we essentially become part of the problem. To divide us, and then conquer. This is however not to say that the victim didn't suffer and it should not feel anger or even hateful. Not at all. The Validation of that is important and essential for healing. Getting however stuck in that stage prevents healing. As the victim seeks relief of the trauma and the pain, but attacking some else (the abuser). But isn't that exactly the same thing what does the abuser do? Relieving a trauma and pain (most likely from childhood) by doing abuse. So at this stage, the victim turned into the narcissist. That's why we explain in Codependent Paradigm that these two paradigms are the same yet on opposite spectrum.
Back to #MeToo. So at this point, the original advocates including Burke herself expressed concerns about movement's directions towards punitive actions (persecution) and public shame (persecution) and steering away from healing and support.
The movement became a cult.
Support Groups
The process of narcissist-takeover above is a very good example how this happens. Narcissistic Paradigm is in need of narcissistic supply. So where can it get the most of it? Well, where does Codependent Paradigm concentrate? In support groups!
The support group will act as if it is supporting its members. But if you look closer, there is a persecutory element. Whenever you sense persecution, even if it appears righteous, such as after a bad judge, bad lawyer, parent abuser, you can guarantee there is a narcissist somewhere behind it. Inducing psychosis (gas-lighting) in the victims, invoking emotions in them so they act against the abuser, and in the process the the narcissist gets intoxicating narcissistic supply.
The host of a Codependent Paradigm will leave its narcissist only to find a group full of narcissistic leaders that it will join. The gas-lighting, the induced psychosis, of the target victim just continues with different people, same Paradigm. The victim will continue feeding the narcissistic supply to the group leaders, while gas-lit that it is being protected. And just like with a romantic partner, it might have taken years, if not decades to realize the psychosis and escape, the same might happen with the group. The victim might become a strong supporter and advocate of the group. But underneath, they are perpetuating abuse. They are complicit to the abuse. Just because it shifted from mothers to fathers (or vice versa) or from left to right (or vice versa) or from women to men (or vice versa) does not make it less abusive. The narcissists and the victims, now Flying Monkeys, don't care. Because they are under psychosis.
The only escape from this, the only way to stop ALL abuse is to HEAL. Each victim MUST HEAL. Only then we can unite, see everything for what it actually is - without the psychosis and Paradigm Blindness, and address it. Until then, we will repeat Gulag Archipelago over and over.