Description
Integrating contemporary research with psychoanalytic theory, Narcissism and Its Discontents offers clinicians strategies for dealing with the complex situations that can arise when treating patients with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). The very act of defining narcissism can be a difficult one, owing to the pleomorphic nature of NPD. This guide recognizes the challenge and provides a number of psychoanalytic and psychotherapeutic approaches including transference and countertransference to adjust treatment to the patient rather than constraining clinician and patient by strictly adhering to a manualized treatment.
A chapter on the cultural aspects of narcissism addresses the recent societal fascination with NPD in the discourse on politics and celebrity, particularly in the age of social media. Regardless of the treatment setting psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, partial hospital, or inpatient clinicians will find a wealth of approaches to treating a diverse and challenging patient population in Narcissism and Its Discontents.
Incredibly useful resource for anyone working in mental health settings. Ideas, research and recommendations are presented in a clear concise manner. There wasn’t a hint of judgment or contempt towards those suffering with personality vulnerabilities. Overall an inspiring and thought provoking read.
A very clear, clinically oriented and concise exposition of Narcissism. One of the best book on this difficult subject I have ever read.
Clinical view of narcissism.
Great book.
Suffice to say, this is another excellent work by Dr. Gabbard on an increasingly prevalent issue. It has been my observation that Freud’s time was the era of hysteria, most of the ego psychologists and object relations theorists lived in the era of depression, and that since the 1970s we have entered to era of narcissism. I am not sure if Gabbard was aiming to express this with his title being a reference to Freud’s last book, but it’s an interesting thought.
This book is about 140 page, and can be read in a day if one is familiar with the contemporary psychodynamic theories, especially self psychology. It provides some very interesting thoughts on the association of narcissism and the rise of the internet, along with growing understanding of how narcissism manifests itself – the two points that stuck out to me that I have seen clinically and am glad to see getting research backing is the obsessional-level defenses and the “high-performing” narcissist.
In a somewhat ironic twist of wanting to bask in the shadow of the idealized object of these masterful therapists, I always wish there was a bit more specifics in clinical examples and how to work through problems. But it really is that case that therapy is something that has to be learned by doing, and the ability of Gabbard to collapse complicated topics of different theoretical fields into shortened and easily-digested bites will be helpful to keep in awareness when one is in the trenches, so to speak.
Would highly recommend to any mental health practitioner that deals with patients with complaints of emptiness, unmet needs, chronic depressive issues, or any of the other narcissistic maladies in order to better emphatize and handle to long road of treatment with these patients.
Physically, the book is quite nice. It has a somewhat matted texture on the cover and heavy, semi-gloss pages.