The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement

The book started out with a drumroll of flair and drama - OH NOES! THE NARCISSISTS ARE COMING! - but settled down in the second chapter with some research references and scientific evidence. I am cautiously swayed by the evidence - I'd need a second opinion of the evidence to be more certain. I appreciate that the authors are honest both about the research used and their own biases - in several places, they admit to times and places where they have fallen to the competitive standard in homes or childcare, as well as admitting that research done using only college students as subjects cannot in all fairness be expanded to assume it applies to the population as a whole, particularly when the subject is something tied to age or cohort.

Worth reading if you're interested in psychology or in modern culture. Even more worth reading if you've ever rolled your eyes at the celebrity magazines lining checkout stands all around the US or wondered why the incredibly unreal “reality tv” shows are so popular.

Short review: There is some great stuff in this book. But it is very repetative and some of the analysis I think is just wrong. So I have a hard time recommending. If you do read, I would read the first section, the chapter on parenting, chapter on consumption and the end section. I think the web chapter is very poorly analyzed and much of the rest of the middle is repetitive. But the concept basic content really is facinating.

Full review on my blog at http://bookwi.se/narcissism-epidemic/