Rethinking Narcissism: The Bad-and Surprising Good-About Feeling Special

Rethinking Narcissism: The Bad-and Surprising Good-About Feeling Special by Malkin, Dr. Craig. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780062348104.

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 its uttered. People hurl the word as insult at anyone who offends them. Its become so ubiquitous, in fact, that its lost any clear meaning. The only certainty these days is that its bad to be a narcissist—really bad—inspiring the same kind of roiling queasiness we feel when we hear the words sexist or racist. Thats especially troubling news for millennials, the people born after 1980, whove been branded the "most narcissistic generation ever." In Rethinking Narcissism readers will learn that theres far more to narcissism than its reductive invective would imply. The truth is that we all fall on a spectrum somewhere between utter selflessness on the one side, and arrogance and grandiosity on the other. A healthy middle exhibits a strong sense of self. On the far end lies sociopathy. Malkin deconstructs healthy from unhealthy narcissism and offers clear, step-by-step guidance on how to promote healthy narcissism in our partners, our children, and ourselves.