About this item
Harvard Medical School psychologist and Huffington Post blogger Craig Malkin addresses the "narcissism epidemic," by illuminating the spectrum of narcissism, identifying ways to control the trait, and explaining how too little of it may be a bad thing."What is narcissism?" is one of the fastest rising searches on Google, and articles on the topic routinely go viral. Yet, the word "narcissist" seems to mean something different every time it's uttered. People hurl the word as insult at anyone who offends them. It's become so ubiquitous, in fact, that it's lost any clear meaning. The only certainty these days is that it's bad to be a narcissist - really bad - inspiring the same kind of roiling queasiness we feel when we hear the words sexist or racist.
About the Author
Rather than rattle off my credentials, which you can easily find on my website, I'd rather tell you the story behind why I wrote Rethinking Narcissism. People need help- desperately. They're lost, surrounded by empty caricatures and fear mongering when it comes to any discussions of narcissism. Unlike most writers and speakers on the subject I haven't just been touched by narcissistic personality disorder directly - my mother struggled with it throughout her life, as you'll learn if you read my book - I've studied it in depth. And I'm dismayed by the confusing and misleading information that seems to have exploded onto the scene in the last decade. As a clinical psychologist with over 25 years helping people cope with variety of problems, including pathological narcissism, I know too well the kind of damage that personality disorders can wreak in our lives. But I also know that narcissism takes many forms, not just the loud, preening, primping, boastful version that most experts talk about. The startling truth is that many narcissists couldn't care less about looks or fame and money and some can be extremely quiet. And if you don't know what all dangerous narcissism has in common, then you can't spot the real red flags. I wanted to make it easy for people to protect themselves when necessary and find hope when it's possible. Because that's what I needed in my relationships. And that's what I needed to help people as a therapist. By researching the subject directly and drawing on my own experience, I've been able to provide a much clearer path to coping with and leaving destructive relationships. My greatest hope is that you find the clarity that you need to do just that. Not in months or - worse - years. But in weeks or days. And that's why I wanted to rethink narcissism.
