In everyday conversation, we use the word “narcissist” to describe our ex-lovers and the jerks we encounter on the subway, but what does it really mean? On this episode of The Psychology Podcast, Scott has a fascinating discussion with Kristin Dombek about the “new narcissism”, in which everyone is a selfish narcissist– except ourselves. In this episode, we take a close look at how the label narcissism is used in psychology and popular culture, and how its increasing use may be a product of our modern times. We also discuss the guilt and fear associated with being labeled a narcissist, we talk about the differences between narcissism and psychopathy, and we cover an assortment of other topics including science journalism, how often we act out of character in a day, and the possibility of a “selfie apocalypse!”
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About the guest
Podcast Guest
Kristin Dombek is an American essayist and cultural critic whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Harper's, the London Review of Books, n+1, and The Paris Review. She is the author of The Selfishness of Others: An Essay on the Fear of Narcissism, and received a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award for Nonfiction.
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