Covert narcissists will seek out a certain type of person for intimacy. They know what traits someone needs to have to be able to control and manipulate them. For instance, they wouldn’t be able to use their emotions and comments to manipulate if the person didn’t have empathy, compassion, and a nurturing heart. They wouldn’t be able to convince someone to take the blame for something that isn’t their fault if the person was not self-reflective.
