Understanding Flying Monkeys: The Enablers of Narcissistic Abuse, Collective Harassment, and Mobbing

In conversations about manipulation and psychological control, one term consistently surfaces: flying monkeys. The phrase was borrowed from the 1900 children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The book was later adapted into the iconic 1939 film,  The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale and Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West. In the story, the Wicked Witch commands an army of winged monkeys who enforce her will; harassing, kidnapping, and terrorizing Dorothy and her companions.

In modern psychology and sociology, the term has evolved into a metaphor for the people who carry out the bidding of an abusive or manipulative individual. These enablers spread the abuser’s narrative, harass, pressure, or intimidate the target, and help maintain the abuser’s, bully's, or harasser's power, often without the abuser ever needing to act directly. Although the term is frequently tied to narcissistic abuse, it extends far beyond clinical narcissism. Anyone who weaponizes influence, sympathy, or deception to harass or control someone else, can deploy flying monkeys, whether they do so consciously or without realizing the harm they are inflicting.

Understanding who flying monkeys are, how they operate, and why people become them is essential for anyone navigating emotional, institutional, psychological abuse, or harassment.

What Is Narcissistic Abuse or Narcissistic Harassment?

Narcissistic abuse or narcissistic harassment is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person uses tactics such as slander, defamation, gaslighting, intimidation, blame-shifting, exploitation, and emotional coercion to harass or maintain control over another individual. The intent is to weaken the victim’s sense of reality, erode their confidence, and keep them dependent, destabilized, or off-balance.

Importantly, a person does not have to be diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) to engage in narcissistic abuse or narcissistic harassment. These behaviors can be displayed by anyone who relies on manipulation, domination, or deceit to get their way.

Nothing Accidental About It: The Illusion of Innocence 

Narcissistic abuse, harassment, and mobbing are often carefully orchestrated to look innocent from the outside, creating the impression that the abuser and their flying monkeys are “not doing anything.” This illusion is intentional. Abusers frequently perform a kind of weaponized innocence, acting polite, passive, or confused in public while carrying out subtle but relentless forms of psychological harassment in private. Their actions are designed to provoke the target, hoping the victim will eventually react out of frustration or emotional exhaustion. Once the target finally responds, the abuser points to that reaction as proof that the victim is “unstable,” “overreacting,” or “the real problem.” This dynamic allows the abuser to maintain plausible deniability while making the victim appear irrational, thereby deepening the isolation, invalidation, and emotional suffering that lie at the heart of both mobbing and narcissistic abuse.

What Are Flying Monkeys?

Flying monkeys are the individuals, friends, family members, coworkers, acquaintances, or even strangers, who reinforce the abuser’s narrative, attack the target, or intervene on the abuser’s behalf. They function as extensions of the abuser, helping them spread misinformation, cast doubt on the victim’s credibility, apply pressure or intimidation, monitor or report on the victim, and protect the abuser from consequences. In doing so, they allow the abuser to operate indirectly, inflicting harm while maintaining plausible deniability.

Conscious Flying Monkeys

Conscious flying monkeys are fully aware of their actions and the impact those actions have. They deliberately participate in harming, intimidating, or undermining the target. Their motivations vary widely. Some act out of loyalty to the abuser, while others share the abuser’s jealousy, insecurity, or malice. Some seek the abuser’s approval, hoping to secure favor, influence, or opportunities such as promotions, or political advantages. Others enjoy drama and conflict or derive a sense of power from aligning themselves with someone they perceive as influential.

When conscious flying monkeys engage in lying, rumor-spreading, resource-blocking, intimidation, withholding information, or direct harassment, they are actively contributing to a deliberate mobbing campaign. In housing complexes, workplaces, or government settings, conscious flying monkeys help formalize and institutionalize the abuse.

Although these individuals know the narrative is exaggerated or false, they choose to participate anyway. Their willingness to actively escalate tension, spread lies, enforce the abuser’s demands, or issue threats makes them dangerous and often deeply entrenched accomplices.

Unconscious Flying Monkeys

Unconscious flying monkeys, on the other hand, genuinely believe they are protecting someone who has been wronged. They have been manipulated into thinking the abuser is the true victim. Narcissists and manipulators excel at crafting persuasive stories that distort events, omit critical details, and cast themselves as innocent, wronged, betrayed, or misunderstood. When unconscious flying monkeys hear only this curated version of events, they act to defend the wrong person. 

Unconscious flying monkeys also frequently believe they are helping their organization or following instructions from authority figures. They accept what the instigator tells them without investigating or questioning it. When they act on false narratives, they unintentionally become participants in institutional mobbing. Their lack of awareness does not make the harm any less severe; instead, it contributes to the overwhelming sense of hostility the victim experiences.

Their actions often involve repeating misinformation, pressuring the actual victim to apologize or reconcile, minimizing or dismissing the abuse, taking sides in conflicts they do not fully understand, or unintentionally spreading false narratives. Even though unconscious flying monkeys may have good intentions, their involvement deepens the victim’s isolation, confusion, and emotional distress.

Whether the flying monkey is conscious or unconscious, they are normally insecure and participate in the abuse/harassment as a means to make themselves feel good. Sometimes they simply want to be part of a group or gang to feel validated.

One Doesn't Have to Be a Narcissist to Use Flying Monkeys

Despite its association with narcissism, the tactic of using flying monkeys is not exclusive to narcissists. People who recruit others to support their version of events, fight their battles, or manipulate circumstances may not meet the diagnostic criteria for NPD but may still weaponize relationships for personal gain or as a cover up.

Individuals may engage in this behavior when they want to avoid accountability, manipulate sympathy, portray themselves as the victim, hold grudges, seek retaliation, or stir conflict to feel empowered. They may also rally others to take their side or apply pressure to a target. Ultimately, the strategy does not require a diagnosis, it only requires someone who wants to control the narrative, refuses to face consequences, and requires others to help them achieve their goals.

These individuals activate networks of flying monkeys by presenting distorted versions of events that portray themselves as wounded or righteous while positioning the true victim as the aggressor.

How Flying Monkeys Connect to Mobbing

Although flying monkeys are typically discussed within the context of interpersonal abuse, the behavior translates directly into the organizational and institutional phenomenon known as mobbing. Mobbing refers to a coordinated or complicit group attack, often in workplaces, housing environments, schools, or government settings, where one individual is targeted by many.

Flying monkeys are the building blocks of mobbing.

Mobbing is what happens when enough flying monkeys join the attack.

Shared Mechanisms of Flying Monkeys and Mobbing

Flying monkeys and mobbing share the same underlying mechanisms. Both rely on manipulation, as the abuser constructs a narrative that misrepresents the victim. Both involve triangulation, where the abuser pits others against the target to isolate them. Group pressure also plays a role, because individuals are more likely to join in once others have already aligned themselves against the victim. The victim’s reputation is often damaged as rumors, distortions, and false accusations circulate. The emotional and physical toll is immense, frequently resulting in anxiety, depression, retraumatization, housing insecurity, job loss, or health decline. Institutional silence or complicity allows the abuse to continue unchecked.

Mobbing as the Collective Outcome

Flying monkeys describe individual enablers, while mobbing refers to the collective harm created when these enablers act together. Flying monkeys form the chain of command; mobbing represents the orchestrated attack. In political, housing, and legal contexts, abusers, bullies, and harassers use flying monkeys to create environments where harassment feels constant, retaliation becomes predictable, safety disappears, and the victim is overwhelmed. Through this structure, the abuser maintains deniability while still achieving their desired outcome.

How to deal with the Harassment

Dealing with this kind of targeted harassment requires both vigilance and strategy. The most important thing you can do is document everything, keep written records, save emails, take photos, record videos, and rely on tools like video doorbell cameras to capture patterns of behavior over time. If you feel threatened, call the police, but understand that this can introduce its own challenges, as officers may not always recognize subtle or organized harassment and may misinterpret the situation. Additionally, women, especially women of color are often dismissed by the police. Before submitting evidence to any authority or agency, it is wise to consult an attorney, especially when the abusers work to make their behavior appear harmless or “accidental.” In these situations, the harassers may attempt to flip the narrative, portraying you, the target,  as the aggressor, and some companies may even hire attorneys to distort or discredit your evidence. 

Above all, protect yourself, trust your instincts, and do not suffer in silence. Let others know what you are going through, whether friends, or family. The more informed and aware your support network is, the harder it becomes for abusers to operate in the shadows. 

In some cases, it is not recommended to tell anyone in the place where the harassment or mobbing is happening. For instance, if the abuse is occurring at work, confiding in co-workers can backfire, because you never truly know who is aligned with whom, who is influenced by the harasser, or who may repeat your words, intentionally or unintentionally. People often shift allegiances to protect themselves, maintain favor with supervisors, or simply avoid becoming the next target. What begins as a private conversation can quickly become distorted, taken out of context, or used to fuel the very rumors and retaliation you are trying to fight.

The same dynamic happens in housing environments. If the harassment is happening inside an apartment complex, sharing your experience with a neighbor may expose you to more danger. Neighbors talk to each other, and word spreads quickly. Some may be friendly to management or the individuals involved. Others may join the mobbing simply because they believe the false narrative being spread about you. In these close-quarters environments, anything you share can circulate back to the wrong person, putting you at greater risk of retaliation, smear campaigns, or further isolation.

For these reasons, it is often safer to confide only in trusted people outside the environment; friends, family, an attorney, or an advocate, who have no ties to the setting where the abuse is happening. This protects your privacy, protects your legal position, and prevents your statements from being twisted or used against you.

Why This Matters

Flying monkeys often go unnoticed in discussions about abuse, but they play a central role in amplifying harm. Without them, many abusers would lose their power, credibility, and reach. Understanding this dynamic allows victims to recognize when they are being undermined or sabotaged, how narratives around them are being reshaped, and why certain people have suddenly become hostile or dismissive. Awareness becomes a crucial step toward reclaiming one’s voice, rebuilding confidence, and breaking free from manipulation.