Freeing Yourself from the Narcissist in Your Life
"PsychotherapistMartinez-Lewicombines clinical analysis with  psychological profiles of famous people she believes to have been  narcissists (e.g., Frank Lloyd Wright, Ayn Rand) in this valuable guide  to recognizing, coping with, and overcoming narcissistic behavior. She  focuses on the high-level narcissist, i.e., the "omnipotent, grandiose,  often charismatic individual of overreaching ambition and palpable  hubris," distinguishing diagnostically between narcissists and  borderline and antisocial personalities. She further presents a  historical and societal perspective on narcissism, explaining the shift  in focus in psychopathology from neuroses to personality disorders.  Throughout, she draws on solid secondary biographies as well as relevant  case studies from her private practice, and she ends with a reasoned  discussion of decidedly Eastern approaches (e.g., meditation) to counter  narcissists’ destructive behavior. The book is written with a calm  directness and achieves the author’s purpose of helping readers identify  and protect themselves from naively tangling with these personalities.  It offers more clinical analysis and experience than does Eleanor  Payson’sThe Wizard of Oz and Other Narcissistsand nicely complements  Nina W. Brown’sChildren of the Self-Absorbed. Highly recommended for  university and larger public libraries. —Dale Farris, LIBRARY JOURNAL