Narcissists think of themselves as special; chosen; beyond the fray — rules do not generally apply to them, but oh do they ever to you. They tend to see the world in black and white terms, as a Manichaean struggle of hierarchy vs. fairness, with strict social status to abide by and perpetuate — a world of dominance and submission, with themselves at the top. This narcissism books list will arm you with the most important information you need to know about dealing with this infuriating type of personality disorder.

The higher on the Cluster B scale you go (with psychopathy at the top of the ruthless scale), the less empathy these fundamentally narcissistic individuals possess. Without empathy, there is no basis for forming a conscience. One could say the classic defining hallmark of this group of personality disorders is that the people exhibiting narcissism have little to no conscience.

Part of the dark triad along with psychopathy and Machiavellianism, narcissism is characterized by manipulative behavior towards others and a malevolent, often exploitational approach to interpersonal relationships. There are many aspects to narcissism, and the following book assortment covers a wide range of core and intersecting topics.

Narcissism books list

About narcissists

• In Sheep’s Clothing — George K. Simon
• Emotional Blackmail — Donna Frazier and Susan Forward
• The Sociopath Next Door — Martha Stout
• The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations — Christopher Lasch
• The Narcissist You Know — Joseph Burgo
• Dangerous Personalities: An FBI Profiler Shows You How to Identify and Protect Yourself from Harmful People — Joe Navarro
• Assholes: A Field Guide — Philip C. Edwards
• When It’s Never About You — Ilene S. Cohen
• The Body Never Lies — Alice Miller

Practical advice for dealing with a narcissist

• No Contact — H. G. Tudor
• Stop Walking on Eggshells — Paul T. Mason and Randi Kreger
• Character Disturbance: The Phenomenon of Our Age — George K. Simon
• The Road to Character — David Brooks
• Danger: 50 Things You Should Not Do With A Narcissist — H. G. Tudor
• Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Difficult People — Renee Evenson
• Sociopathic Society: A People’s Sociology of the United States — Charles Derber
• How To Kill A Narcissist — J. H. Simon
• Protecting Yourself from Emotional Predators — Steven J. Wolhandler

Narcissistic parenting

• Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents — Lindsay C. Gibson
• The Good Daughter Syndrome: Help For Empathic Daughters of Narcissistic, Borderline, or Difficult Mothers Trapped in the Role of the Good Daughter — Katherine Fabrizio
• The Drama of the Gifted Child — Alice Miller
• Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect — Jonice Webb

Narcissism and politics

• The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements — Eric Hoffer
• Escape from Freedom — Erich Fromm
• Dangerous Charisma — Jerrold M. Post and Stephanie R. Doucette
• The Road to Unfreedom — Timothy Snyder
• Man’s Search for Meaning — Viktor E. Frankl
• The Second Coming of the KKK — Linda Gordon
• The Open Society and Its Enemies — Karl Popper
• Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes — Andrew M. Lobaczewski

You could say that narcissists are those who never manage to find enough escape velocity to get outside themselves. They stay stuck forever in an infantile loop of getting what they want, using people along the way to achieve their goals. Narcissists think transactionally, and are always seeking to maximize benefit to themselves, at the expense of others if necessary or possible.

Their world is a zero-sum game where every interaction is a potential transaction to be exploited. Empathy is a foreign concept, often feigned but never felt, as genuine concern for others would undermine their self-centered agenda. Narcissists operate with a relentless focus on self-preservation and self-advancement, their actions governed by an insatiable need for validation. This leads them to view relationships not as mutual partnerships, but as opportunities to extract value—be it in the form of admiration, status, or resources. The people around them become mere tools, reduced to their utility in satisfying the narcissist’s desires.

See also: word salad, flying monkeys, grandiosity, projection, dark triad, black and white thinking, scapegoating, motivated reasoning, love bombing, magical thinking, narcissistic rage, emotional blackmail, influence techniques, splitting, dissociation

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