Cole PearceCritiques

Three and a half stars seems about right. This book is "peer counselling" by an ordinary amateur student of human nature who has escaped from an abusive relationship with a narcissist. Unfortunately, because he's writing from one predominant experience with a few echoes in his own life, what he says about the relationship is too general to be very helpful. Pearce lacks the clinical experience to say at what point ordinary selfishness crosses the line into narcissism. A reader is likely to feel that everyone person knows, including the reader perself, is being described as a narcissist and all relationships are abusive. So, full points for reassuring the reader that other people have been mistreated in the same ways the reader was, but no points for helping the reader know when to end a relationship, calll out behavior and demand a change, or accept the behavior.

An interesting look into narcissism and gaslighting. I found it helpful in that it gave me clues about what to look for, and ways of dealing with narcissists and gaslighters. I think it’s going to be useful to me in the future.

Do you know someone who is annoyingly self-centered and incapable of empathy? This book will give you some hints on recognizing and countering this behavior. There’s not a lot of new stuff, but current research is well summarized and presented in an entertaining manner. Some of the advice is easier said than done but just getting some recognition that you’re not alone may help folks who find themselves in this situation.

This book is a a well written, easy to read introduction to dark psychology. Topics are neatly organized by chapter, and there isn't too much subject specific jargon. This is definitely not a textbook on dark psychology, but it's well referenced and a quick read for anyone just wanting to get started.

This is definitely an interesting read. The author explains each concept and walks you through the whole process of understanding and identifying the characteristics and situations. It helped, in an easy way, to pinpoint the people in my life that fit into the descriptions of narcissists and how to turn the situation into a favorable outcome for me. Definitely worth the time I invested in it!

This is a quick, easy read. There's not much depth and minimal research, but it's a good summary of the topic and offers some engaging personal anecdotes, as well as examples.

A quick read with notes and examples of what comprises dark psychology. A great introduction to the topic.

A very interesting read. It's rather short but hits a lot of key components. The examples provided by the author help to differentiate the different between each tactic. Most of the information provided is probably not new to the average reader but there are definite nuggets that get you thinking. Good reference list at end which helps increase confidence.