Informative and necessary! Such an excellent read, I liked it better than the previous “surrounded by” books. Just preordered my copy.

Truly excellent. Identifying characteristics of a narcissist is crucial. They really do exist in every social situation: jobs, families, clubs, church communities, etc. This book is a terrific guide in defining, recognizing, and managing someone with NPD ( to an extent.) Important for parents, adult children, employers, employees...really anyone. Being around the behavior for long periods of time can have devastating effects. Victims of it will learn that the narcissist's patterns are not their fault. Recommended!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think the new trigger phrase is "narcissistic." It used to be Karen but lately I hear people using this word, even if it's not applicable. Having done some personal research into narcissism due to family members exhibiting those characteristics, I was looking forward to reading this book and finding out more in a concentrated focus as opposed to Googling sources. This book had an easy to read tone and is helpful for understanding what exactly narcissism is.

I like to figure out why people do what they do, so I found this book fascinating. The author, writing in a friendly conversational style, tells us how to identify a narcissist, or someone with narcissistic personality disorder, or a person who just has some of these traits. We can blame permissive parents or the Internet, but some of these behaviors may be hard wired, involving some nature and some nurture. It does seem that nowadays more people are focused on what THEY want rather than trying to consider how their behavior might affect others. I liked the authors’ example: “If the person sitting in the front row of the airplane leans the seat back as far as it will go…this spreads all the way back, until…the person in the last row has nowhere to go. Sometimes I get the feeling that a growing number of us have started pushing our seats back all the way.” Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Surrounded by Narcissists by Thomas Erikson is an in-depth look at what it means to be a Narcissist and how best to relate to them (or not) in everyday life.

Narcissists consider themselves special and will value themselves at the expense of others. They crave the praise and adulation of others and will do anything to get it.

I found the comparison between Psychopath, Narcissism and Machiavellianism interesting. All of these personality disorders have overlapping presentations but are uniquely different. For example, “Psychopathy mostly involves being cold, unempathetic, and insensitive to the needs of others. Machiavellianism mostly involves manipulating people for personal gain. Narcissism mostly involves feeling deserving of praise and special treatment that others don’t receive.

I can’t say I’ve actively known someone who could be diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I’ve definitely known, and currently, know people who have narcissistic traits.

I hate to think that I would be vulnerable to a narcissist but after reading this book, I think we all are. If I can realize this about myself hopefully, I can stay vigilant and keep an eye out for red flags.

One thing I didn’t like is the way studies are referenced. I prefer studies to be referenced at the end of the chapter and numbered but this book had them at the end of the book with no numeral reference. This made it difficult to check as I went along, especially on Kindle.

This book was written in an easy-to-read, straight forward style. I would recommend it to anyone who thinks they know a narcissist or wants to know more about how a narcissist behaves.

Rating: 4/5
Genre: Non-Fiction/psychology

Thank you St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Thomas Erickson for the eARC of "Surrounded by Narcissists"

I found this to be educational, and gets down to the nitty gritty of the term "narcissist". It was easy to read and super helpful in pin pointing the characteristics of what this disease really looks like.

In this thought-provoking, Thomas Erikson helps you understand what influences narcissists and, crucially, how to navigate their behavior. With the help of the behavioural model made famous in Surrounded by Idiots, Erikson provides all the tools you need to manage not just the narcissists around you but everyday narcissistic tendencies as well - itself becoming more widespread in this age of social media. Engaging and practical, Surrounded by Narcissists provides valuable insight and guidance so you can understand the how and why while utilizing real world practicality in dealing with narcissistic behavior.

Narcissism is a word thrown around a great deal recently. I hear " He's a Narcissist " , S,he has Narcissistic tendencies" .In the culture of today's world where one is taught to put themselves first, it is not a surprise that there may be such thoughts. So what exactly is a person like who is a Narcissist? This is the first book I've read on this subject that delved in deep to every characteristic., beginning with the fact that Narcissism is a personality disorder. There is no medication that will fix it or any therapy that would cure it. What is the difference between a person that has a great self esteem and is successful and a Narcissist?. Read this book to have that question answered in a crystal clear way. Many examples of behaviors in various situations. In one of the ending Cahapters there is a test on "Are you a Narcissist? This is a book that I will re read and refer to.
Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
It publishes on June 21, 2022

*Updated Version*
Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for the E-ARC copy of this book. The rating of this book is entirely of my own opinion.