W. Keith Campbell - The New Science of Narcissism: Understanding One of the Greatest Psychological Challenges of Our Time―and What You Can Do About It

Narcissism is both widely discussed and widely misunderstoodwhich is why the world desperately needs a book like The New Science of Narcissism. Campbell and Crist explode the myths around narcissism and, in its place, build a solid understanding of what narcissism really is and how it displays itself across so many realms, from relationships to the workplace to social media. The New Science of Narcissism will give you what you need to better manage narcissism no matter where or how you experience it.

Jean M. Twenge , PhD,
author of iGen: Why Todays Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happyand Completely Unprepared for Adulthood

This is a fascinating journey into research and theory on narcissism, from one of the worlds leading experts on the topic. Although there is plenty of science, there are also concrete and useful tips on how to work with narcissists on a practical level. Most surprising is that they also consider the beneficial sides of narcissism, with suggestions on how to work with rather than against the narcissists who are an unavoidable part of the social world.

Kristen Neff ,
author of Self-Compassion

This book provides a comprehensive, clear, and easy-to-read account of what we know and dont know about narcissism, guided by both influential theoretical accounts as well as the increasingly large and sophisticated research literature. Keith Campbell, a leading researcher in narcissism, presents this information in a down-to-earth, funny, and easily digestible manner that makes for a fun and breezy read on this important topic.

Joshua Miller, PhD

This is an incredibly timely book given the prevalence of narcissism in politics, boardrooms, and social media platforms in the world today. This book arms you with the latest science to not only understand narcissism in its many formsfrom the trait to the disorderbut also to apply it to your own life so that you can live your best life. This book is for everyone interested in learning more about this fascinating and often misunderstood topic.

Scott Barry Kaufman ,
author of Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization

The New Science of Narcissism offers a comprehensive understanding of narcissism, a personality disorder that wreaks havoc on relationships. With historical examples, pop cultural references, and other sources that give insight into this malignant phenomenon, this fascinating and important book is also peppered with Campbells down-to-earth wit and humor.

Karyl McBride , PhD,
author of Will I Ever Be Good Enough? Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers andWill I Ever Be Free of You? How to Navigate a High-Conflict Divorce from a Narcissist and Heal Your Family

Sounds True

Boulder, CO 80306

2020 W. Keith Campbell and Carolyn Crist

Sounds True is a trademark of Sounds True, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author(s) and publisher.

Published 2020

Cover design by Jennifer Miles

Book design by Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Campbell, W. Keith, author. | Crist, Carolyn, author.

Title: The new science of narcissism : understanding one of the greatest psychological challenges of our time-and what you can do about it / W. Keith Campbell, Carolyn Crist.

Description: Boulder : Sounds True, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019058215 (print) | LCCN 2019058216 (ebook) | ISBN 9781683644026 (hardback) | ISBN 9781683644033 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Narcissism. | Personality disorders.

Classification: LCC BF575.N35 C357 2020 (print) | LCC BF575.N35 (ebook) | DDC 155.2/32dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019058215

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019058216

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To those trying to understand narcissism for any reason,

and for Murphy

Y ou dont need to go far to find narcissism. It shows up in news headlines about our political leaders, commentary about social media influencers, and online discussions about manipulative relationships among friends, family, romantic partners, coworkers, and organizations. The term narcissistgenerally defined as those who have excessive interest in or admiration of themselvesgarners up to 1 million monthly searches online, and tens of thousands of us are searching for information about narcissistic traits, narcissistic behavior, and signs of a narcissist. Hundreds more specifically want to know if theyre married to a narcissist and how to deal with a narcissist. Narcissism is a household term these days, and we want to know what it means in our lives. The good news is that in the research world, we understand so much more about narcissism than we did twenty, ten, and even five years ago.

At the same time, when Im talking to people about narcissism and how it affects their lives, I see that there is a large gap between the way I think about narcissism, as someone who does scientific research on the topic, and the way the term is often used. Narcissism is more complex and nuanced than people expect, and the way we talk about it in daily conversations and news stories can get confusing. The term narcissism can mean several different things, such as a basic personality trait that most of us exhibit to some extent or a full-blown personality disorder that is severe, diagnosable, and should be treated. When we have mixed definitions like these, no one in a conversation about the topic quite knows what the other person is saying, and it creates confusion. My hope is that this book will give you the knowledge to understand narcissism in its multiple forms. You will learn how narcissism works in the world and how it applies to your life. I want to empower you to understand and deal with narcissism in the world today, using the most cutting-edge scientific research I can share with you.

In fact, our conversations about narcissism have become more nuanced and confusing because the science around narcissism has also become more nuanced and confusing. I purposefully put new science in the title of this book because the research on narcissism has exploded during the past decade, and psychologists at universities across the United Statesand the worldunderstand far more about it as both a personality trait and a disorder than before. You deserve to know the latest thinking in the field. To describe the latest science on narcissism, I also provide some background on personality science and personality disorders, so if you wonder why you stumbled into an Introduction to Personality lecture early on, I apologize in advance.

In this book, Ill talk about narcissism in a variety of ways, but for the most part, Ill talk about it as a personality trait, not a disorder, though details about narcissistic personality disorder appear in chapter 5. You may be surprised that the beginning of the book is so focused on personality. Thats quite intentional; much of what we know now considers narcissism to be a personality trait that spans a spectrum, which is not entirely good or bad. Ultimately, I believe we need to study narcissism to better understand it in ourselves and others and the reasons it may be useful or harmful. People sometimes fear narcissism and want to eliminate it. I understand that feeling, especially from the many people who have been harmed by narcissism. But the reality is, narcissism is here, and we can accept it and work with it (or fight against it as needed). Through this book, you can learn these nuances and strategies for dealing with narcissism.