The speaker explains that narcissists lack a true, integrated self and instead operate from a compensatory false self formed in response to early invalidation and trauma. This false self mimics ego functions—providing an illusory sense of continuity, reinterpreting emotions, and using cold empathy and mimicry to manipulate others—while consuming the true self and impairing reality testing, emotion regulation, and impulse control. Consequently, interactions with narcissists are engagements with the false self, which produces pervasive harm through co-idealization, co-devaluation, entitlement, and rigid maladaptive behavior. How Narcissist Experiences False Self