Malignant Self Love by Samuel Vaknin (2001, Paperback, Expanded)

This is a powerful book written by Sam Vakin, Ph.D from his own research and correpondences with narcissists and their victims through the years.

Narcissism is the condition of "being in love with one's one reflection", causing psycopathic disconnect between the narcissist and the real world. It is a particulary cruel affliction for those who must be a narcissist, or live with one because it is so hard to put your finger on what is wrong in such a relationship. The twists and turns of narcissitic manipulations are impossible to comprehend without some knowledge of the disease behind them.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you are suffering with someone who just "isn't there" in the way normal people are, you may finally learn that it isn't you at fault for not being good enough to make your narcissist happy.


CONTENTS:

The World of the Narcissist (Essay)
Introduction: The Soul of a Narcissist - The State of the Art
Chapter One: Being Special
Chapter Two: Uniqueness and Intimacy
Chapter Three: The Workings of a Narcissist - A Phenomenology
Chapter Four: The Tortured Self - The Inner World of the Narcissist
Chapter Five: Narcissists and Women
Chapter Six: The Concept of Narcissistic Supply
Chapter Seven: The Concepts of Narcissistic Accumulation and of Narcissistic Regulation
Chapter Eight: The Emotional Involvement Preventive Measures
Chapter Nine: Loss of Control of Grandiosity

There is plenty of technical information and intellectual reasoning in the book, but the most powerful information comes directly from the narcissists who contributed to it's writing.