Unmasking Narcissism Quotes

“A professor once asked his class to answer the question, “What causes mental illness?” The students wrote the kinds of answers you might expect: trauma, abuse, neglect, poverty. “No,” he replied. “Everyday interactions cause mental illness.” Even the smallest interactions, when repeated hundreds or thousands of times throughout a person’s life, can have tremendous influence on that person’s mental health.”
― Mark Ettensohn, Unmasking Narcissism: A Guide to Understanding the Narcissist in Your Life

“Narcissists have difficulty connecting with their observing self and their self-as-context. They are continually running from “bad” conceptualized selves and continually chasing “good” ones. They try to get rid of the bad ones by projecting them onto others. When you find yourself being pulled in one direction or another, try to remember that you transcend any particular label that your mind might assign. You are not good or bad. You are the place where thoughts like good and bad happen. You are the being that gives meaning to ideas like goodness and badness. You are also the being that watches your experiences. You’ve always been there, since the moment that you were born.”
― Mark Ettensohn, Unmasking Narcissism: A Guide to Understanding the Narcissist in Your Life

“I once knew a person who would say, “I wonder what the poor people are doing tonight?”
― Mark Ettensohn, Unmasking Narcissism: A Guide to Understanding the Narcissist in Your Life

“The best strategy is to make the narcissist feel wanted and appreciated. Meeting negativity with more negativity fuels the narcissist’s need to defend. Instead, defuse the interaction by acting on insight and attempt to make your own needs known in a calm, nonconfrontational way. When dealing with a narcissist who knows no boundaries in his demands, make space for yourself by saying “no” in a kind manner in moments of calm.”
― Mark Ettensohn, Unmasking Narcissism: A Guide to Understanding the Narcissist in Your Life