Living with a chronic illness is already a profound challenge. It often requires immense physical endurance, emotional strength, and a support system that understands the unpredictable and often invisible nature of long-term health conditions. But when someone with chronic illness is also in a narcissistic relationship - whether with a partner, parent, or close family member - the burden can become exponentially heavier.
Intermittent reinforcement is an unpredictable and inconsistent pattern of rewards or responses (i.e. a pattern where affection, approval, or connection is unpredictably given and withdrawn). It has profound psychological and physiological consequences, particularly when experienced in close relationships. Common in emotionally abusive, manipulative, or unstable environments, this behavioural pattern keeps individuals locked in cycles of confusion, self-doubt, and emotional d
