Surrounded by Narcissists How to Effectively Recognize, Avoid, and Defend Yourself Against Toxic People (and Not Lose Your Mind) [The Surrounded by Idiots Series] by Thomas Erikson is an informative read pull of use information. This is a book worth reading, especially if you are dealing with narcissists in your life.

Thomas Erickson continues his Surrounded by Idiots series with an engaging and informative study of narcissistic traits in “Surrounded by Narcissists”. This book helps its readers to recognize narcissistic traits and provides some tips to address them according to their color of human behavior. I especially enjoyed the discussion on well-intentioned actions that can nurture and encourage narcissistic traits.
I give this book 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about these traits and ways to protect their sanity.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Essentials for the DRC of “Surrounded by Narcissists”.

US society, it seems, is a narcissism-generating machine. Largely dealt with in silence, the harm narcissistic people cause in public and private spheres impacts all of us. In any relationship, a narcissist uses very specific strategies to control you, and the conversation about them, so they appear brilliant at all times. A recent scandal involving a specific Hollywood star's behavior towards another person is understandable more completely in this light. Doubtless you can see many traits in the stories the author uses to explain narcissism that adhere to lots of folks you know...but never knew why you had trouble warming up to them.

A word of caution: Don't think you're suddenly a mental-health professional and run around diagnosing others. They won't like it, and it will bite you hard. The author is careful, unsurprisingly since his brand is as a communicator, to state that he is synthesizing research and presenting conclusions based on data, not on his mental-health expertise.

Surrounded by Narcissists by Thomas Erikson
Published: June 21, 2022
St. Martin’s Essentials
Pages: 306
Genre: Self-Help, Non-Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Thomas Erikson is a motivator, author, and public speaker. His book Surrounded by Idiots is one of the world’s best-selling non-fiction books and has been translated into over 40 languages. His way of sharing his knowledge with his readers is by using specific storytelling and lots of humor. To achieve new skills should be easy. Therefore, he does not write in a way packed with numbers and details, but rather in a way that will make the reader say: Ah! I recognize that! Thomas has devoted close to 30 years of his career to helping people communicate with each other. Along the way, he´s developed practical and functional tools that facilitate professional and private life. Thomas believes in the importance of a higher understanding of others to decrease the number of unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts in a relationship or at work.

“If you don’t know which problem you’re supposed to be solving, you won’t even see any need for a solution.”

Thomas Erikson takes a deep dive into narcissism and a lot of the causes and effects relating to narcissism.

The statistics were staggering, and the examples provided were fascinating and terrifying. The research was very well done and thorough, and while Thomas Erikson is not a doctor, he has done the work to provide the facts.

I found the examples and scenarios so interesting. It’s wild because as I was reading these chapters, there would be individuals who would flash into my mind with various explanations.

I found using the fictional Linda to explain the spectrum of narcissism helpful. Overall, I found this book hard to put down. It is well written and easy to understand.

I enjoyed how there were pieces of Erikson’s previous text, Surrounded by Psychopaths, mentioned. After reading the thorough, well-presented, and written to be a valuable tool for those dealing with a narcissist on any level; I may have to read the rest of Erikson’s books.

I’ve always heard about narcissism but I never fully understood it. This book really helped me understand it & narcissists. It contained essential information but with a twist of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it & I now have a better understanding of narcissism. Erickson did a great job with this one & I plan to check out more of his work in the future.

In Surrounded By Narcissists Thomas Erikson lays bare the truth about the spectrum of psychopathy and makes important distinctions between sociopathic, psychopathic, and narcissistic personality types. The writer does a phenomenal job of explaining what the current research has to say about the topic of narcissism while also making relevant observations about the state of the society we are living in and the ways that we are either socialized to become narcissistic or predisposed to endure to the harm caused by being in relationship to a narcissist. There are many tools, strategies, and protective measures provided in this book that readers will appreciate and learn a lot from.

I was grateful that there are also distinctions made between the importance, for everyone, of a healthy level of narcissism and how the most important aspect of identifying a harmful narcissist is to identify patterns of behavior. Thank you to the author and publisher for the E-arc copy.

(This book comes out June 21.)

What a fascinating read! I don’t usually read books that are nonfiction during the school year, but I made an exception for this book and I am glad I did. I found the information presented interesting and informative. It was written in a manner that was easily understood with examples that were important for understanding.

The narcissistic personality is a certified personality disorder and does not have a high cure rate. The explanation of the various symptoms and behaviors really clearly delineated the difference between people who are vain or have some narcissistic traits and a true narcissist and how they might operate. I particularly liked that he used the colors (from the four Color Personality Test) of red, green, yellow and blue and he used those colors to help you understand how a narcissistic personality could manipulate you.

I would suggest that you consider purchasing this book in print - so you can flip through the sections that might not directly affect you which will allow you to focus on what is important to you, the reader. Surrounded by Narcissists by Thomas Erikson was an interesting read.

This book helps you learn about narcissists and how to deal with them while not letting them suck out all your energy. This is not the first book I've read by this author and am familiar with his four-color behavioral model. A good read if you are not familiar with the traits of a narcissist or need help with how to work with them. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

While I didn't read anything new about narcissists, the book was filled with humor and great information for those seeking a resource on narcissism. I recommend this book to anyone looking to understand what narcissism is and the ways it manifests. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

SURROUNDED BY NARCISSISTS by
Thomas Erickson
Published by St Martin's Press
Publishing date June 21 2022

I have read alot of books about Narcism and psychopaths. I feel this book did a decent job of describing the dsm clinical requirements I couldn't agree with everything he wrote however and felt he confused some terms and ideas.
However for a general basic understanding of the Narcassist I think it is fine.
Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very informative and insightful book.Having a brother who is a narcissist made me really want to read this book.Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an e copy.Highly recommend for anyone who has narcissists in their life and wants to stay sane.

I enjoyed Surrounded by Idiots, which is why I chose to read this one. However, I did not enjoy this book as much. It has an anecdotal tone (not a complaint) but I don't think it offered new or well-researched info on the subject. Some of the stories felt incredulous; although the author does admit that they have not been proven factual. I'm just wondering why they were brought up in the first place? For example, there was the story about Narcissus that I just did not believe. But I tend to be more analytical so a casual reader may not be distracted by those stories. Overall, Surrounded by Narcissists reads like stuff you can find on the internet that is better researched. It did not leave much of an impression.

There is a very informative and helpful book to identify and understand narcissism. I like how it breaks it down and compares it to other psychoses and disorders to make it easier to get just what it is. There is some genuinely helpful advice in here as well, like you need to run at the very first sign of abuse. I really liked the statements that not knowing that what you're doing is harmful doesn't absolve you--you must take responsibility and accept the consequences of your actions--and that the Internet is not the real world (many people really, really need to hear that).

However, there are some language, opinions, and structure to how the information is given that I don't really agree with or feel might be a bit harmful itself... Like the section about groups in the discussion about cultural narcissism; there are different weights to these things and lumping in everyone together as equal in how they are being attacked is absolutely not something I feel is a fair thing to do. Especially when the author mentions the important work of civil rights activists--right after using the example of changes in lexicon involving people of color as the result of a group being too sensitive. It makes me think of the "special snowflake" debate and it really just rubbed me the wrong way when I was reading that section. Some of the language about the topic feels a little flippant at times too.

Regardless, this was a read that kept me highly engaged and I don't think that was just because I'm a psychology nerd. The author has a fun, accessible way of explaining things and makes it genuinely easy to grasp the concept, and offers genuine concern for the reader and all who is affected by narcissism.

In a world that seems to be increasingly filled with narcissistic behavior, Surrounded by Narcissists is both timely and intriguing. Thomas Erikson establishes an easily understandable definition of narcissism and then goes on to delineate ideas for dealing with troublesome behavior.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Surrounded by Narcissists. While I’ve done a lot of research into this due to family members and I didn’t really learn anything new, I enjoyed the writing of this book. If you don’t know much or anything about narcissism, I’d recommend this book. Thanks again NetGalley for the ARC!

I was intrigued by this title having worked with people showing narcissistic tendencies so I was intrigued to learn more -- the subtitle is "How to Effectively Recognize, Avoid, and Defend Yourself Against Toxic People (and Not Lose Your Mind) [The Surrounded by Idiots Series]" - and what I appreciated about the book is that in the very opening chapters he clearly states that to truly diagnose someone as being narcissistic should be done by a trained professional. But that people can exhibit narcissistic type behaviors and our society tends to promote and reward some of these behaviors.

Erikson uses the DiSC theory (personality assessment) as a basis for looking at personality factors and human behavior which is extremely relevant to my workplace since we use DiSC as a tool for individual development/self awareness and for team effectiveness.

Also helpful is the understanding that beneath it all narcissists want control -- that is exactly how I have experienced these type of people in my work and life -- it is so refreshing when you realize that you will never be able to please them no matter what you do -- that knowledge has freed me up to stop wasting energy on trying to please them. Erikson also outlines some other techniques and I have used some of them and find they work really well -- such as, break the pattern (put a pause before you react) or become a broken record without letting yourself get triggered. The latter chapters address cultural/society issues as well as parenting. I am actually interested in reading other books in "The Surrounded by Idiots series!" Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have much experience working with and teaching about those with personality disorders and personality disorder traits. I thought this book was terrific and will highly recommend it to students as well as colleagues and audience members.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a great resource for anyone looking to understand what narcissism is and ways it manifests. This book will not help you if you want to learn to live with, confront, or heal from narcissistic abuse.

From the author of Surrounded by Idiots and Surrounded by Psychopaths, Surrounded by Narcissists is a self-care book for those who feel like everyone around them is just out for themselves and what you can do about it. Tips and tricks are given to identify and protect yourself against toxic people in your life. A great new addition to this author's collection of books.

my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC. This is my unbiased and honest review.

I was quite intrigued by this book as I have had numerous narcissists in my life and seem to keep acquiring new ones. I"ve read a fair number of books on the subject.

I found this book informative in that it works to define the differences between narcissists and other personality types that may be similar in tendency and in interactions, but I felt the book was a bit too lighthearted in places and some of the commentary on parents and children/society was a bit overbearing. I would have preferred more concrete tools for dealing with narcissists, spotting narcissists, avoiding interactions with narcissists, and more of a guideline than social commentary.

It gets three 1/2 stars for being informative in identifying narcissists but I would have liked more tools and information on dealing with them in the day to day and in family situations.