Narcissists are addicted to people. They need people. We all need human interaction or contact, but not intensely as the narcissist. The narcissist needs people all day, every day. They need that constant stimulation from people. Whether it's someone to have a conversation with, a warm body to sleep next to at night. Someone to abuse and manipulate, or distort their reality. Someone to have power and control over. They cannot do any of these things without people.
People provide them with what they need... attention, validation, approval, admiration, power, control, money, material things, affection or sex. Without a physical human being there, they cannot obtain any of this. And this is narcissistic supply. They are heavily dependent on narcissistic supply, which means that they are heavily dependent on people. Put them on a deserted island, and they would die out very quickly. Because they need that constant attention, that constant stimulation.
A narcissist without people to constantly attend to them, validate and approve of them and admire them... can be a very dangerous person. Because at that point they have nothing to lose, and that's when you see who they really are. A narcissist without supply will have a temper tantrum, they can be aggressive and willing to do whatever it takes to obtain that supply. It's essentially the same as a toddler that wants that shiny new toy that they cannot get. The narcissist will scream and shout, attack people... whatever it takes.
If there's a person that they want, they have to have them, just because they want them. They are arrogant and feel entitled. Just because they want you, they expect you to give in and let them have you. They feel entitled to your attention, your conversation, your body, mind and soul. Your body is an object to them, which they use as they please to gratify them however they want. Your mind is a tool for them to obtain narcissistic supply. They want to damage your mind and confuse it, so that they can take control over it.
If your mind was a horse, they would want to be the one pulling the reins. They are addicted to high energy people. Narcissists love energy, they can't get enough of it, literally. Because they are low-energy beings and no matter how much energy they obtain, it can never sustain them. They are like bottomless buckets. An interaction or conversation is a transaction of energy. You will notice that after an interaction or conversation with a narcissist, you feel drained and lifeless.
This is because they are draining your potent, high-quality energy and giving you the energy which they possess. They possess a weak, low-quality source of energy, which is like drinking a can of soda. You might get a sugar rush in the beginning, but soon enough you will experience the crash. This energy struggles to sustain the narcissist, too, which is why they are always on the hunt for sources of supply. Narcissists are also addicted to the human touch. They need constant affection or sex, many of them have an addiction.
Tell a narcissist that you don't want to have sex, and they will have a narcissistic injury. Sociopaths and psychopaths are different. They do require sources of supply, but they have standards or specific qualities they look for in a source. They can hold out and be alone until they find that source who is what they are specifically looking for. Most often this will be someone who could put them in a position of obtaining money or power. Or they will be extremely good-looking or sexually gratifying.
If the sociopath or psychopath does not find a source which meets the specific qualities that they are looking for, they will be alone. They will not settle for less than what their specific standards or needs are. This is the clear difference between the narcissist and the sociopath or psychopath. Sociopaths and psychopaths are more focused on the perceived need. Narcissists are more focused on what they want, and they can be very impulsive. Especially after the discard phase, in the reckless phase. They don't think like the sociopath or psychopath.
If they see a man or woman, that's a source of supply. They don't care about their looks, their physique, their social status or how much money they have. And you may notice that many times the narcissist thought that you were the same. They were paranoid and hypervigilant over any person of the opposite sex you may talk to. They don't have the filter process that we have built into our minds. Especially in the reckless phase, anything goes. They are addicted to people, they are addicted to human interaction and stimulation. And they cannot live without it.
So of the three disorders, narcissists are definitely the weakest and most dependent on people. They literally need that interaction and stimulation all day, every day. The narcissist is also extremely envious and jealous of any people you are in contact with. They are envious and jealous of any human interaction or stimulation you might have. This is why narcissists are known to create smear campaigns towards the end of the relationship. Because they are envious and jealous of any potential human interaction or stimulation you might have.
Why are they so envious and jealous of this? It's because they do not believe they can give you the interaction or stimulation you desire. And if someone else gives that to you, it will only prove how defective, inferior and incapable these people really are. Narcissists are also like bottomless buckets, no amount of interaction or stimulation can satisfy them. But if you are an empath, you have probably noticed that even the tiniest amount can provide you with deep satisfaction.
Empaths are hypersensitive to the attention of others, their validation, approval, admiration. If an empath is having a conversation, they will be very in tune and deeply involved in it. If an empath is experiencing affective stimulation, whether physically or emotionally, they will be extremely sensitive to that. Some empaths are so physically and emotionally sensitive, that they often experience discomfort. Why do narcissists need constant human interaction and stimulation? Well, it's because when they are by themselves, they are alone to their thoughts.
They have an inner critic. They have endless negative and dysfunctional thoughts. Furthermore, they are living in hell in their minds. They are miserable and dissatisfied with their lives, so they need a person to distract them from this. They don't want to be alone to themselves, because they hate themselves. That's why they create a false self to lure you in. And when they are alone, they cannot portray an illusion, because there is no one to witness it. They cannot create a fantasy by themselves, because that would force them to look within.
The narcissist does not want to self-reflect or look within themselves, because it is too painful. Deep down they know just how miserable, dissatisfied and flawed they really are. Which is why they need constant human interaction and stimulation to distract them from that. They also need someone to project all of their flaws and mistakes on to. They need someone so they can make them feel miserable, dissatisfied and flawed, to make them feel higher and above them.
So this is why the narcissist is addicted to people. Addicted to the functioning of your brain. Addicted to your thought process. Addicted to your potent, high-quality energy. Addicted to any attention or admiration you might give to them. Addicted to any interaction or stimulation you may provide to them. Addicted to your physical body and any affection you might give them.