Book Description
Narcissists are the strangest creatures. They are the people of arrested development. The key to understanding these monsters is to grasp that they simply didn't grow up. They are emotionally stunted. They were so emotionally traumatized in childhood that they never left it. Children resort to childish fantasies and infantile psychological defense mechanisms to shore up their fragile, inchoate sense of self. A normal person grows up and moves on from childish things. Narcissists don't. They're stuck. Their mind emotionally freezes at the age of a toddler. Can you imagine? Probably not. It's too disturbing. It’s too weird. Narcissism is the condition of a child’s self in an adult’s body. It’s about people who were unable to psychologically transition from childhood to adulthood. A narcissist grows up physically and intellectually, but his emotions and core psychological defense mechanisms remain those of a child. When you meet these people, you of course assume you are dealing with an adult, but you're not. The narcissist is the eternal child. He's a fantasist. He has no emotional sophistication. The Narc engages in something called splitting. He considers himself "all good" and anyone who challenges him in any way "all bad". Because that's how children see the world. They don't do nuance. Here's the quickest way to identify a narcissist – ask them what their favorite movie is. An adult will of course choose an adult movie. A narcissist will choose a children's movie – because that reflects their emotional age and they love childish fantasies. One movie narcissists love is The NeverEnding Story – because it's about a bullied boy who becomes the Special One, the Savior. That's how all narcissists see themselves. Another tale of narcissism is The Emperor's New Clothes. And have you ever heard of the Singing Ringing Tree? That's about a narcissist being cured. It must be a fairytale because narcissists can't be cured. Narcissism is a lifelong condition. Every Narcissist is a Peter Pan. But only emotionally. A seventy-year-old narcissist looks seventy years old, but he still has the emotional age of a toddler, a fantasist. Narcissists will meet their deaths as children trapped in adult bodies, and what could be more horrifying than that? Narcissists have a disproportionate effect on the world, and it’s largely because their childish behavior is regarded as “magical” by many people. This is black magic!
