The Three Faces of Evil: Unmasking the full spectrum of Narcissistic Abuse
The Three Faces of Evil: Unmasking the full spectrum of Narcissistic Abuse
Published by Black Card Books Division of Gerry Robert Enterprises Inc. Ontario Canada 2015
ISBN: 9781772041450
Reviewed by Ursula Somerville MIAHIP
I wish I had read this book before I worked on voluntary committees…..
This is an easily accessible book written by a woman of wisdom, wisdom which was learnt through pain. The author writes about the three faces of evil in narcissism: 1. Profile of a Narcissistic Personality Disorder; 2. Profile of the Malignant Narcissistic Personality; 3. Profile of a Psychopath and she reminds us of the necessity for all of us to have some of these traits but the book explores the destructive elements of this condition using the symbol of the Russian doll system – and does so very well, in my view.
The book opens with the personal tale of the author at the hands of her narcissistic brother. Setting the tone for where her knowledge originated from. I must say on first reading I found it hard not to have persons, whom I have worked with, jumping off the pages and I read it a second time to integrate the important message within.
It has just 119 pages to it and each page is nicely broken up with images so the text is not too dense. I really like the way they had numbered each page – the light and dark side of personalities. I like also that the author is of Irish descent and a psychotherapist who has worked closely with victims of narcissistic abuse. The author is clear from the outset that her ambition now is to educate those working in the mental health sector to help support victims of narcissistic abuse
She alarming tells us that “unhealthy narcissism” has reached epidemic proportions (Louis De Canonville 2015: 3). Citing the last epidemic she witnessed was AIDs and how this needed herculean efforts to educate people both young and old. Though help is stated in the book when she says “the best way of protecting oneself against these predators is to know what you are dealing with and to be able to spot these predators before they spot you” (Louis De Canonville 2015: 4) the author explains the deep wound that the person suffers from in order to present in this manner and this is helpful and important to know. She mentions this as she explains each of the three faces.
In the book the reader will find the qualities of a healthy narcissist as well as the “qualities” of a destructive narcissist moving on to the pathological narcissist.
I feel this is an important publication and essential reading for trainees in psychotherapy. Not least because it does not try to use the tale of Narcissus to explain the disorder but instead uses plain English and offers a balanced view of the condition.
