We all have narcissistic traits. Having some sense of our own specialness isn’t just normal, it’s actually psychologically healthy. The problems start when people go beyond normal levels, and become addicted to feeling special. On this episode, Forrest is joined by Dr. Craig Malkin to explore narcissism and narcissistic traits. They talk about the different forms narcissism takes, the difference between narcissistic traits and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), red flags, dealing with narcissists, treatment options, and finding the “right amount” of feeling special.

About our Guest: Dr. Malkin is a Lecturer in Psychology for Harvard Medical School, a licensed psychologist with several decades of clinical experience, and the author of Rethinking Narcissism: The Secret to Recognizing and Coping with Narcissists. He also has a great YouTube channel. 

Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:35: Narcissism as a pervasive universal trait

4:10: What differentiates healthy narcissism vs. disordered narcissism?

5:45: “Triple E” - exploitation, entitlement, empathy impairments

6:45: Incapable of empathy, or unmotivated?

9:10: What distinguishes having narcissistic traits from having NPD?

13:05: Extraverted, covert, and communal narcissism

23:10: Healthy and unhealthy narcissistic traits often go together

25:20: Insecure attachment

28:30: Emotional hot potato

32:10: Social and cultural power dynamics 

36:25: What does healing narcissism look like?

42:55: What modalities do you use in therapy?

45:20: Difficult relationships, communal activation, empathy prompts

50:35: Extinction bursts and using anxiety responses in therapy

53:25: How do you repair with your partner? 

57:05: Recap

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