The narcissist must always have ready access to several sources of supply to boost their narcissistic ego. The narcissist has a fragile ego which is susceptible to feeling attacked, even over the slightest things. The reality of the narcissist is often very different from the reality of everyone around them. For this reason, they are always on the defensive and need to protect against narcissistic injury. The way they can protect against narcissistic injury is with supplies. The narcissist supply serves as a buffer to the world they always feel on the defensive in. On one hand they think that they are superior to everyone else, but on the other hand they believe everyone is out to get them and will find out they aren’t the secure, all-knowing person they want you to believe they are. For this reason, they need as many buffers, or supplies, at the ready so they can build a wall of safety and security around them. But what happens if the narcissist loses a source of supply either by the supply leaving, or the narcissist discarding them? Can anyone be a new supply for the narcissist? How does a narcissist choose their new supply?
The narcissist supplies are carefully chosen to serve the needs of the narcissist at a given time. The supply doesn’t just show up in the narcissist’s life and the narcissist then figures out how to use them. Rather, the narcissist seeks out their supply and then only keeps those they think will benefit them. What the narcissist needs in that moment is always changing, and that is why the narcissist supply is always changing.
Which brings us to the question of what do narcissists look for in their new supply? When the narcissist is choosing a new supply, which is often after they have lost a source of supply, it isn’t a one-for-one trade. The narcissist doesn’t lose one supply and then finds one to replace them. The narcissist picks new supplies that can fulfill the need which is not getting met, and sometimes this will require more than one new source, even if only one source was lost.
The source of supply which is no longer available may have boosted the narcissist up by being below them in intelligence or looks, while also being submissive and doesn’t disagree with them. If the narcissist can find one new supply with all of those traits, great. However, that isn’t always easy. So, the narcissist may have to find one supply whom they find less attractive than them, another they feel is less intelligent than them, and another whom they find is submissive and they can readily be verbally abusive to.
The complexity in choosing a new supply is why the narcissist always must have a supply at the ready. They can’t place just anyone into the role of new supply. Remember that the narcissist has an unstable sense of self and relies on others to be able to navigate a world they feel is out to get them. If the narcissist can’t find a new supply, they are at risk of narcissist collapse. The narcissist knows they can’t recover from the collapse so they will do anything to prevent it.
Ready access to supplies is needed for the narcissist to be able to function in the world around them and to prevent collapse. So, you might assume the narcissist will take any supply they find so they can just check the box in their quest for more people to control and manipulate. While that might seem to make sense to the non-narcissist, the narcissist likes to make their lives more difficult than it needs to be. They approach every situation with the same manipulative mindset, so even simply choosing a new supply becomes part of the game for them. In the process of choosing a supply, they can love bomb and discard at their will, and this also is a source of supply for them. Choosing a person they can take advantage of allows them to puff small bursts of air into their supply reserves which are always deflating.
So yes, anyone or anything is fair game to serving as a source of supply for the narcissist. But only the narcissist knows if the supply is a right fit for them at this moment in their life.