Underlying this idea is, they believe, the even more fundamental nature of narcissistic admiration and rivalry. The Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Concept (NARC), as it’s called, describes the way that narcissists maintain their grandiose self-perceptions. In long-term relationships, narcissists become manipulative, aggressive, and less like to concede to their partners’ wishes. Narcissistic rivalry, furthermore, did not moderate the drop in relationship satisfaction, as the chocolate cake model would predict. In the first place, a narcissistic partner will have high expectations that, if not met, can lead to an overall pattern of devaluation.