The speaker presents an integrated conceptual framework based on the theory of shared fantasy to explain the complex, contradictory behaviors of narcissists in intimate relationships, detailing stages such as idealization, dual mothership, mental discard, and the challenges associated with discarding internalized images of partners. The framework highlights the narcissist’s struggle with separation anxiety, narcissistic injury, and the cyclical process of devaluation and re-idealization, which ultimately prevent true separation from their partners and perpetuate repetitive harmful dynamics. The only exception occurs when the narcissist undergoes a profound psychological transformation called modification, allowing them to reconstruct their identity and escape this cycle.