Book Review, April 2025: Pages 7–9 All Rights Reserved License CC BY-NC-SA Copyright: Author: Sevket Akyildiz Research Notes Surrounded By Narcissists: Or How To Stop Other People’s Egos Ruining Your Life Thomas Erikson, London: Vermilion, 2022, Pp. 298. ISBN: 9781785043673 Reviewer: Sevket AKYILDIZ 1 Clinical narcissism is evident in nearly one to two per cent of a country’s population (p. xii). Thomas Erikson’s Surround By Narcissists: Or, How To Stop Other People’s Egos Ruining Your Life (2022) investigates two themes: firstly, narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) in individuals and how to respond to it. Also mentioned are individuals who display narcissistic characteristics but have not been clinically diagnosed with NPD. The second theme explores the role and impact of collective narcissism and narcissistic culture. Emphasised is the increase in narcissistic behaviours in society, notably in social media. The author reviews these two themes and addresses questions about narcissism, its modern origins, and how to resist it. Erikson is a specialist in human behaviour, is a leadership trainer, and the author of popular psychology books and self-care. Erikson reports that the book’s purpose is to get people to manage more effectively the NPD individuals they encounter or might be in relationships with. He also aims to make us respond appropriately to an emerging narcissistic culture that is making us behave in ways detrimental to the self and community. Ideally, he seeks to ‘reverse’ the societal trend towards narcissism. ‘That’s my main objective in writing this book: to stir something up in those who read it that might cause them to choose an alternative path’ vis-a-vis self-centredness and narcissism (p. 272). Erikson comments that he has no desire to be ‘preachy’ but ‘collectively, we do need to get back into the habit of actually having the energy to do things for one another, rather than just ourselves’ (p. 284). He argues that the development of human society originated from ‘mutual interest and cooperation’ (p. 284). He concludes the book by saying that we should check ourselves when we succumb to narcissistic ways and give support to people facing life’s challenges. Yet, he is hopeful, commenting that, ‘most of us haven’t yet succumbed to the narcissistic currents within our culture’ (p. 286). The book contains four parts consisting of twenty-eight chapters, a very brief bibliography and sources section, and an adequate index (but there are no footnotes or endnotes). Erikson mentions academic research in the book and uses it as evidence where appropriate to support his argument. The author’s observations about narcissism, among 1 Sevket Akyildiz, PhD, 2011, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9545-4432 7