Understanding, Recognizing, and Dealing with Narcissists with Dr. Craig Malkin

09.05.2022 - By Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson Play

Download our free app to listen on your phone

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

Grief and Loss Workshop: We all face losses in life, from separation and disappointment to shocking, even traumatic events. Join me August 13 and 14 for 7 hours of LIVE, online teaching focused on learning simple, powerful practices that help us come to terms with loss, heal, and find happiness again. Use coupon code BEINGWELL25 at checkout for an additional 25% off the registration price.

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors:

Bombas designed their socks, shirts, and underwear to be the clothes you can’t wait to put on every day. Visit bombas.com/beingwell and use code beingwell for 20% off.

Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month!

Want to sleep better? Try the Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription.