Why Is It Always About You?

In the normal course of relationships, we all depend on others to affirm our sense of who we are. There are some people, however, who are incapable of this fundamental form of give-and-take. Spend enough time around these narcissists and anyone can start to feel invisible. In this groundbreaking book - the first popular book on narcissism in more than a decade - clinical social worker and psychotherapist Sandy Hotchkiss shows how to cope with such controlling, egotistical people and offers healthy strategies for rebuilding self-esteem.

Why Is It Always About You? explores the dynamics of the narcissistic personality - how such individuals come to have this shortcoming, why you get drawn into their perilous orbit, and what you can do to break free. There is a touch of narcissism that lives in all of us, and some of it is even normal. Before you can disentangle yourself from the "web" of someone else's unhealthy narcissism, you will have to examine your own foibles and vulnerabilities and come to terms with that most uncomfortable of feelings, shame.

Beginning with an explanation of what has become one of the foremost personality types of our time, Sandy Hotchkiss describes what she calls the "Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism" - Shamelessness, Magical Thinking, Arrogance, Envy, Entitlement, Exploitation, and Bad Boundaries - and where they come from. You will learn to recognize the hallmarks of unhealthy narcissism in its many guises and to understand the roles that parenting and culture play in its creation.

Whether the narcissist in question is a co-worker, spouse, parent, or child, Why Is It Always About You? provides abundant practical advice and strategies for survival for anyone struggling to break narcissism's insidious spread from one generation to the next and for all those who encounter narcissists in their everyday life.

“The Hartford CourantA how-to not only for disengaging yourself from the narcissists in your life but also learning to live with them.”

The Hartford Courant A how-to not only for disengaging yourself from the narcissists in your life but also learning to live with them.
Drew Pinksy, M.D. A practical and accessible book about one of the most prevalent personality disorders of our time.
Jerold J. Kreisman, M.D. coauthor of I Hate You -- Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality. People who experience narcissism in themselves or in others now have a guide to help them steer through the storm.

A prominent psychiatrist, James F. Masterson was born in Pennsylvania and educated at the University of Notre Dame and Jefferson Medical College. As a psychiatrist, Masterson became an authority on the treatment of personality disorders. He founded the Masterson Institute for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in 1977 and he wrote seven influential texts during his career. He died in 2010.

In this groundbreaking book -- the first popular book on narcissism in more than a decade -- clinical social worker and psychotherapist Sandy Hotchkiss shows you how to cope with controlling, egotistical people who are incapable of the fundamental give-and-take that sustains healthy relationships. Exploring how individuals come to have this shortcoming, why you get drawn into their perilous orbit, and what you can do to break free, Hotchkiss describes the "Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism" and their origins. You will learn to recognize these hallmarks of unhealthy narcissism -- Shamelessness, Magical Thinking, Arrogance, Envy, Entitlement, Exploitation, Bad Boundaries -- and to understand the roles that parenting and culture play in their creation.Whether the narcissist in question is a coworker, spouse, parent, or child,Why Is It Always About You'provides abundant practical advice for anyone struggling to break narcissism's insidious spread to the next generation, and for anyone who encounters narcissists in everyday life.

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