Sam Vaknin explained the concept of grandiosity bubbles as defensive fantasy constructs narcissists create to maintain an inflated self-image and avoid confronting reality, especially during transitions between sources of narcissistic supply. These bubbles serve as temporary, protective isolations where the narcissist can recover from narcissistic injury without experiencing humiliation or collapse, contrasting with more stable shared fantasies maintained in pathological narcissistic spaces. The grandiosity bubble ultimately dissolves without harm, enabling the narcissist to resume their manipulative cycles of idealization, devaluation, and exploitation.