Heal NPD17 Loka 2025

It's Time We Discarded The Myth of "The Narcissist"

In this episode, Dr. Mark Ettensohn challenges one of the most persistent distortions in contemporary discourse on narcissism: the myth of “the narcissist.”

He explains how this cultural archetype, an image of coldness, cruelty, and manipulation, has eclipsed legitimate clinical understanding of Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Drawing on both the peer-reviewed literature and his clinical experience, Dr. Ettensohn describes how terms like narcissistic abuse, covert narcissism, and narcissistic supply have come to dominate popular psychology despite lacking grounding in peer-reviewed research.

The episode explores how this narrative misleads clinicians, alienates patients, and perpetuates stigma, while offering a more accurate view of pathological narcissism as a defensive structure rooted in shame, vulnerability, and loss.

Dr. Ettensohn argues that it is time to discard the myth of “the narcissist” and replace it with a more compassionate, evidence-based understanding of NPD...one that recognizes both the pain it causes and the suffering it defends against.

Additional Resources

Website: https://healnpd.org

Newsletter: https://healnpd.substack.com

Assessment and therapy inquiries: https://healnpd.org/contact

Purchase Unmasking Narcissism: A Guide to Understanding the Narcissist in Your Life here: https://amzn.to/3nG9FgH

Jaksot(62)

The Birth of Sorrow | Part 3: Conflict and Defense In Neurotic-Level Narcissism

This is the third part of a three-part exploration of narcissistic personality style at the neurotic level of personality organization. In this episode, Dr. Ettensohn examines the defensive architectu...

3 Kesä 43min

Internal Absence: Emptiness in NPD

Dr. Mark Ettensohn examines the experience of emptiness in narcissistic personality disorder and other forms of personality pathology. Rather than approaching personality disorders as collections of t...

26 Touko 15min

Living with Pathological Narcissism: What Loved Ones Reveal

This episode continues the Heal NPD Seminar Series with Dr. Mark Ettensohn, joined by his associates Deanna Young, Psy.D., and Danté Spencer, Ph.D. In this session, the group discusses the paper “Livi...

26 Touko 58min

The DSM's New Model of Personality Disorders: The Good, The Bad, and What's Missing

This episode continues the Heal NPD Seminar Series with Dr. Mark Ettensohn, joined by his associates Deanna Young, Psy.D., and Danté Spencer, Ph.D. In this session, the group examines the Alternative ...

26 Touko 58min

Narcissism Is Not a Moral Category

Dr. Mark Ettensohn examines a growing tendency in public discourse to treat narcissism as a moral category rather than as a psychological construct. The episode explores why this shift occurs and h...

26 Touko 13min

Accountability Without Dehumanization

Dr. Mark Ettensohn addresses a question that frequently arises in discussions of narcissism and abuse: Is it possible to maintain accountability without dehumanizing? Can someone preserve firm boundar...

26 Touko 15min

2025 Study: Narcissism Does Not Predict Abuse

This episode continues the Heal NPD Seminar Series with Dr. Mark Ettensohn, joined by his associates Deanna Young, Psy.D., and Danté Spencer, M.A. In this session, the group examines a recent empiric...

26 Touko 53min

The Ethics of Narc-Abuse Content: Why 'It Helps' Isn't Enough

In this episode, Dr. Mark Ettensohn examines a common defense of online “narcissistic abuse” content: the claim that, even if imperfect or inaccurate, it ultimately helps people leave harmful relation...

9 Tammi 13min