08 - Understanding Narcissism - Insights into Human Behavior and Motivations

In this episode, we explore the topic of narcissism, a complex and deeply ingrained condition that affects an individual's ability to empathize with others and take responsibility for their actions. We examine the traits and behaviors of true narcissists and why they may be difficult to engage in meaningful self-reflection or discussion about their behavior. Additionally, we discuss why someone might repeatedly read an email that is critical of them or addresses a painful issue, from healthy, non-narcissistic reasons to the unhealthy reasons related to narcissism.

Refereences for Further Reading:

Alice Miller. (1997). The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self, Revised Edition (3rd edition). Basic Books.

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition: DSM-5 (5th edition). American Psychiatric Publishing.

Boddy, C. R. (2011). Corporate Psychopaths, Bullying and Unfair Supervision in the Workplace. Journal of Business Ethics, 100(3), 367–379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0689-5

Brown, B. (2015). Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (Reprint edition). Avery.

Buffardi, L. E., & Campbell, W. K. (2008). Narcissism and Social Networking Web Sites. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(10), 1303–1314. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167208320061

Chekroud, S. R., Gueorguieva, R., Zheutlin, A. B., Paulus, M., Krumholz, H. M., Krystal, J. H., & Chekroud, A. M. (2018). Association between physical exercise and mental health in 1·2 million individuals in the USA between 2011 and 2015: A cross-sectional study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 5(9), 739–746. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30227-X

Corrigan, P. (2004). How stigma interferes with mental health care. American Psychologist, 59(7), 614–625. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.59.7.614

De Arellano, M. A. R., Lyman, D. R., Jobe-Shields, L., George, P., Dougherty, R. H., Daniels, A. S., Ghose, S. S., Huang, L., & Delphin-Rittmon, M. E. (2014). Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Children and Adolescents: Assessing the Evidence. Psychiatric Services, 65(5), 591–602. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201300255

Gordon, S. (n.d.). Emotional Abuse—Leaving, Setting Boundaries, and Healing. Retrieved July 31, 2023, from https://www.invisibleabuse.net/helping-a-loved-one/leaving-setting-boundaries-and-healing

Heeke, C., Kampisiou, C., Niemeyer, H., & Knaevelsrud, C. (2017). A systematic review and meta-analysis of correlates of prolonged grief disorder in adults exposed to violent loss. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 8(sup6), 1583524. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1583524

Herman, J. L. (1992). Complex PTSD: A syndrome in survivors of prolonged and repeated trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 5(3), 377–391. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.2490050305

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Lancer, D. (2016, April 24). What is Narcissistic Abuse? Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/lib/what-is-narcissistic-abuse

Lancer, D. (2017, September 17). How to Spot Narcissistic Abuse | Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/toxic-relationships/201709/how-spot-narcissistic-abuse

Lucas, R. E., Diener, E., Grob, A., Suh, E. M., & Shao, L. (2000). Cross-cultural evidence for the fundamental features of extraversion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(3), 452–468. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.79.3.452

Mas Manchón, L., & Badajoz Dávila, D. (2022). The use of social media as a two-way mirror for narcissistic adolescents from Austria, Belgium, South-Korea, and Spain. PLOS ONE, 17(8), e0272868. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272868

McBride, K. (2009). Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers (Reprint edition). Atria Books.

Narcissistic personality disorder—Symptoms and causes. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved May 25, 2023, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20366662

Neff, K. (2003). Self-Compassion: An Alternative Conceptualization of a Healthy Attitude Toward Oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032

Ramani S. Durvasula, Ph.D. (2019). “Don’t You Know Who I Am?”: How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility. Post Hill Press.
Ray of Solace. (2023, March 24). The Best Narcissistic Abuse Support Groups [2023]—Ray of Solace. https://rayofsolace.com/narcissistic-abuse-support-groups/

Reid, S. (n.d.). Setting Healthy Boundaries in Relationships.

Salovey, P., Mayer, J. D., & Caruso, D. (2002). The positive psychology of emotional intelligence. In Handbook of positive psychology. (pp. 159–171). Oxford University Press.

Shahida Arabi. (2016). Becoming the Narcissist’s Nightmare: How to Devalue and Discard the Narcissist While Supplying Yourself. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Simon, G. K. (2010). In Sheep’s Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People (First Edition, 2nd Edition, second edition is exclusive to Parkhurst Brothers pub). Parkhurst Brothers Publishers Inc.

Stark, E. (2009). Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life (1st edition). Oxford University Press.

Susan Forward & Donna Frazier. (2019). Emotional Blackmail: When the People in Your Life Use Fear, Obligation, and Guilt to Manipulate You (Reprint edition). Harper Paperbacks.

Thomas, S. (2016). Healing from Hidden Abuse: A Journey Through the Stages of Recovery from Psychological Abuse. MAST Publishing House.

Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2010). The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (unknown edition). Atria.

Walker, P. (2013). Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving: A Guide and Map for Recovering from Childhood Trauma (1st ed edition). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
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Durvasula, R. (2019). Don't You Know Who I Am? How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility. Post Hill Press.
Kealy, D., & Ogrodniczuk, J. S. (2017). Narcissistic personality disorder: The voice of the patient. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 23(6), 417–424.
Malkin, C. (2015). Rethinking Narcissism: The Secret to Recognizing and Coping with Narcissists. HarperWave.
Malkin, C. (2019). How to Heal from a Relationship with a Narcissist. Psychology Today.
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