how can he be so clever and manipulative when academically he is thick!

the manipulating part of their brain is just more developed, like an idiot savant! lol mine is dyslexic too! and can't spell for shit

The ex-Psych prof probably has engaged in so much manipulation... that he doesn't have time for philosophizing (let alone brain space for it) There's also the alcoholism factor. He hasn't become a famous philosopher in the past 11 years since the final D&D. His father is academically gifted, writing in areas as diverse as animal behavior, politics, organic gardening, a Renaissance man. The contrast between father&son is incredibly staggering. The ex-P parrots his father... that's what I learned when I looked at a professor rating website. This site had his father's quotes, mannerisms, etc... and all the ex-P did was ape them. His wife does artifacts restoration in a museum;so she's geekier than me! The ex-P has the depth of a cream puff compared to them. Early on, my freshman year, the ex-P said, "I'm not that good a teacher;I'm not that smart a philosopher." Understatements of the millennium, IMHO. He prides himself on his obsession with "War and Peace",he thinks his interest in it makes him intelligent. He once claimed that since he had read "War and Peace" several times, it was proof of his sanity. No jury would buy that.

My ex narc is a state trooper and I think he rode the short bus in school, but I have thought the same thing how can they be such manipulators and they are dumb. Mine once was teling me a story about how he stopped this lady and she started to cry and he said she told him she had her cruise cintrol set on 67 and he just laughed and he said how can you set a cruise control on 67. He thought he was so f%^%$#@ smart I said you can set it to 67 I had to explain to a state trooper that the lines in between say 50-60 set it at a little past the 50 would be 51 etc. He looked at me with those cold eyes and did not say a word. I agree with sarasmile dumb as a bag of rocks

There are people who cannot read, write, or spell, have no idea about current events or foreign affairs, yet are master manipulators. Think Charles Manson. Just because someone did not have the advantage or desire to learn in school or may have a learning disability that they cannot be extrememly bright. Sometimes someone may be exceptional in a particular area and dense in others. There are many studies on PD's and how they become so manipulative and basically when you are very young and you have any type of disability, disadvantage, or disorder, it is not uncommon to hone in on your other skills. Their senses are heightened because they lack feeling and empathy so as children they learn to read people like a book. They sense and observe behaviors and how to get their needs met through manipulation. I put a great article on here awhile back and will see if I can find it. It was basically saying that they compensate for what is lacking in them by becoming master manipulators in the fine art of seduction, kiss assing, people pleasing, push pull, love hate, and whatever else it takes to get their will and wants met. By the time we meet them, they have had years to perfect their skills. The way a PD is diagnoised is by previous behavior and when it began. If there are no signs of prior troubles, they most likely are not a PD and there is something else going on. My last X was a near moron in most all area's aside from mechanics and manipulation. He actually is not even very good at manipulation, I was just hooked and a lot of the reason's why he was able to manipulate me was due to my prior issue's from childhood and my narc father. When you look at charles manson, clearly an exaggerated case, you see that he was in jail most of his life with very little academic training and he was able to manipulate beautiful men and women into unspeakable acts. He was a sadist, psychopathic narcissist and wasn't even by most people's standards attractive. He had hypnotic eyes was what some described. The theory is the same with ours, even though some of them are not attractive, lack financial means, are unemotioanlly available and all the rest, yet they are still able to suck us into their world of deception. I think it is a combination of our wanting to believe and their being very good at their craft. Don't beat yourself, there are some seriously intelligent people on here who have been sucked in my these mutants, this has nothing to do with our intelligence or theirs, this is a chemical thing and a manipulative thing which anyone can get sucked into if all the circumstance line up at the time. Also many have said that they were in a vulnerable state when the PD showed up so add that to the mix and there you go. I was just getting over a painful breakup when Narcboy sucked his fangs into me and I honestly did not see it coming because I so wanted to believe that he was somehow the answer to my pain. I have learned over these months and years that noone is the answer to my pain. The answers lie within me; not outside of me. He was an answer to nothing. God bless, Goldie

i have found a lot of thick people...very cunning...a serial killer here and his wife, were unbelievable stupid...yet got away with murdering girls/women for years including 2 daughers..there IQ, was apparently on in double figures...people like this live on there wits...i dont know how it works realy...i knew a multimillionare who could hardly write and that included signing cheques...and yet as a child he lived in total poverty, hardly went to school...and was bullied bigtime when he did.....in some ways he was probley first narc i met, but cos he was with my friend...i didnt take much on board...but charisma...he had it in spades, he could sell fridges to eskimos....he is now dead.

My kids have been in 2 different school systems, and both of them have made a point of teaching using "multiple intelligences" Multiple intelligence is a theory that individuals may have "intelligence" in different areas. These areas are: * Spatial * Linguistic * Logical-mathematical * Bodily-kinesthetic * Musical * Interpersonal * Intrapersonal * Naturalistic (from Wikipedia) In other words, your Narc may be a horrible speller, as dumb as paste, but it's not to say that they don't excel in some other area(s). Like being a BRILLIANT manipulator.

Mine is drunk all the time... How can his brain even manage manipulating sober, smart people...

I have often wondered the SAME THING! My Narc is as dumb as a bag of rocks so how in the HELL can he be such a great manipulator and game player? He's just not this smart!