Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28362 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Synopsis
A psychotherapist explores the psychological roots of narcissism and offers readers viable strategies for coping with the controlling, self-absorbed, and self-aggrandizing people in their lives. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

Customer Reviews

Why Is It Always About You?
This book gave me an insight into Narcissism as a personality trait rather than a mental health disorder. As a student of Psychotherapy, I was frustrated with the DSM 1V classification, I wanted to be able to understand the grey areas. This book, for me, has opened up those fuzzier areas of Narcissism. The book is easily understood, written with a simplicity that is easy to grasp for any level reader. It covers aspects of social teaching, relationships, child development and a guide to personal Narcissism, it also gave me an awareness of other peoples Narcissism and how to deal with events and situations in everyday life. I really enjoyed this book, from a personal perspective as well as a professional viewpoint, it has helped me open up the complex world of Narcissism.

Too Judgemental
If you're a student of psychotherapy I expect this book would be very helpful, it's easy to read and understand and has some great case examples to help understand how narcissism 'works' in real life. You will also be better equipped to make your own mind up about its style.

Sadly I felt that it could be very unhelpful if you have to personally cope with a narcissist or if you have narcissistic problems your self that you want to deal with. There is a judgemental tone throughout the book that if mirrored in contact with a narcissist I believe is likely to be highly counterproductive.

In the chapter 19 "Narcissism and Society" we get a clue that this tone may resonate from the writers conviction that narcissism is raging in society due to lack of respect for "...religions that are based on the authority of God...". Perhaps we all need to be a bit more judgemental and the narcissists will all fall in line? If only it were that simple...

Guide to Survival
The literature about narcissism is rich in scholarly, obstruse, discussions of psychodynamics, etiology, differential diagnoses and other unhelpful issues.It is poor in down-to-earth, practical, "how to cope" manuals. This book contains a rudimentary overview of pathological narcissism and then proceeds to identify the traits and dysfunctional behaviors of the narcissist - replete with hundreds of examples from the author's mental health practice. It then proceeds to provide check lists,tips, and advice on how to cope with this destructive and perniciousphenomenon. Along needed and long missing work.