Reddit reviews Selfishness of Others

In seriousnless though, I recommend the following book as the best survey of the history of the concept of narcissism accessible to those who do not want to study graduate level psychoanalysis - The Selfishness of Others - An Essay on the Fear of Narcissism.

https://www.amazon.com/Selfishness-Others-Essay-Fear-Narcissism/dp/0865478236

The problem with the narcissism discourse is that everyone is narcissistic. The fear or obsession with the narcissism of others is connected with the denial of one's own narcissism. The reason this is a problem is what Freud called the return of the repressed. What this means is that if you don't acknowledge the presence of something in yourself (e.g. narcissism) you will repress it and it will return in an exaggerated, over the top way.

The result of repression (based on shame) is symptomatic over-expression.

However, TLP could never fully square this circle and ended in a mood of often melancholy acceptance, with the admonition to commit to practical action in the face of these contradictions. Your mileage may vary.

Great post. Earlier today I was reading TLP's critical takedown of The Atlantic's Lori Gottlieb (sp?). Later that same day I came across another, just as brutal critique (poor lady) in this book: The Selfishness of Others: An Essay on the Fear of Narcissism https://www.amazon.com/dp/0865478236. Point is all this stuff is still quite relevant.

Also thanks for the key words "Remix Studies" and "Paul Foster Case". Have had fun researching them online over the last few minutes.

As an aside, I really recommend reading "The Selfishness of Others" by Kristen Dombek. It's a short book essay on how society is perceiving a narcissism epidemic.


https://www.amazon.ca/Selfishness-Others-Essay-Fear-Narcissism/dp/0865478236