Painful People and How to Deal With Them

by Joseph Dunn

Are you living with a narcissist? Are you working for a psychopath? Is your best friend a bit of a limpet? Or are you just paranoid? Worried? Good. Then this book is for you. With his unique blend of humour and insight, author Joseph Dunn explains why there are so many painful people in the world and, more importantly, why there is hope for them. He shows us ways of approaching and understanding the behaviour of the people we must deal with in our everyday life, whether we live, work or play with them Examining every kind of personality type, from the Actress through to the Zealot, he reveals how we carry pain ourselves, inflict it on others, and what we can do about it. By the time you finish this book he promises that you will know about painful people, not be one! You'll enjoy recognising aspects of your own character and those of your friends and colleagues in this informative, perceptive and refreshingly witty book. 'Witty and extremely perceptive' Spectator 'An accessible and enjoyable read for those looking for an introduction to psychotherapy' Changes. Other books by Joseph Dunn Midlife - The Lazy Person's Guide Think Like a Shrink.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

238 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 1997

About the author

born 1872

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great book but I think I know why it didn't sell more copies. It claims to tell you how to deal with painful people, but because it only examines people with extreme personality disorders and only gives general advice like avoid them, call the police or send them to a psychiatrist you don't actually learn that much about dealing with people in your everyday life.

However, I learnt some great things from this book. Eg. There is a little bit of every personality disorder in all of us, and the trick is to have just the right amount of each quality rather than too much or too little.

The thing I really liked about this book was that it explained what codependent relationships were in a way I could understand. I've seen that term used in so many places but hadn't really read an explanation of it until I read this book.

[Peter]

Absolutely rubbish. If this was my psychiatrist I'd go for him for incompetence.