The Narcissist's Prayer by Dayna Craig: "That didn't happen. And if it did, it wasn't that bad. And if it was, that's not a big deal. And if it is, that's not my fault. And if it was, I didn't mean it. And if I did, you deserved it."

As best-selling author and The Life Doctor, Dr. Supriya McKenna, states: "The Narcissist's Prayer by Dayna Craig beautifully illustrates the inner workings of the narcissistic mind. Denial, gaslighting, minimising poor behaviour, blameshifting and shamedumping all feature in this one simple verse, all hallmarks of covert emotional abuse. To a narcissist the 'truth' is not seen as a finite, fixed entity, but as being malleable - as being whatever the narcissist says it is, at the time they say it. The truth is simply whatever serves the narcissist at that particular time."

In this candid memoir, interwoven with scholarly research, author Thomas Avant discusses narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), the collective narcissism inherent in today’s social and political realms, and the ultimate damage caused by individual and collective narcissists in terms of racism, bigotry, toxicity in the workplace, democratic decay, political stagnation, broken families, anti-intellectualism, and a range of other sociopsychological factors prevalent in society today. Published in December 2020, just weeks before the American Capitol insurrection and after four years of the first Donald Trump presidency, Avant conducts a deeper analysis of the American psyche and the collective narcissism that has replaced the communal mindset in American life to help us understand the factors that have now led us to the sweeping, improbable re-election of a destructive malignant narcissist. Why do Americans seem to seek narcissistic leadership and vote to forfeit their civil rights to such a leader? Why do Americans believe blatant lies that can easily be fact-checked and shirk inconvenient truths? Why do family members drive loved ones farther away instead of owning their faults and flaws to bring forth reconciliation and strengthen these familial bonds. When all other avenues of understanding fail, we must look to psychology for the answer.

Narcissists fear self-awareness and evaluation and evade truth because of what may be revealed about themselves. Deep-rooted insecurity fuels the fear of guilt and vulnerability. As James Baldwin stated in Going to Meet the Man: “It is astonishing the lengths to which a person, or a people, will go in order to avoid a truthful mirror.” This is one of the reasons it’s so difficult for narcissists to seek and find a cure for their personality disorder. No matter how much physical/emotional/psychological damage they cause to those around them, they usually aren’t willing to admit they have a problem. It’s always the victim’s, or someone else’s, fault. Depending on the level of narcissism inherent in the individual, it can be impossible to confront the narcissist on their behavior and get any resolution or reconciliation. Through gaslighting, role reversal, and victim blaming, they completely shut down the complainant, rendering resolution/reconciliation impossible. It’s also difficult to forgive someone who can’t admit they’ve caused any pain or damage and who continues to exhibit the same behavior and victimize others. This leads to the only plausible scenario: “no-contact” with the oppressor. This can be extremely difficult if the oppressor is a family member, colleague, boss, or someone close to the victim.

This searingly honesty account of the author’s view of the narcissistic society we inhabit and its lasting effects on us all will, hopefully, shed light on the connections between the psychology of the narcissist, our sorted American history, the current politically divisive and tumultuous climate in America, and the sociopsychological factors inherent in American society today.