Advance Praise for Childhood Narcissism

  • "Ground-breaking, unique, brilliant. If you're a parent and you read this book, you can prevent your child from developing the most toxic, dangerous, and all-but-untreatable of any condition in mental health. The best approach—by far—almost never happens, namely to prevent narcissism from sinking its forbidding roots in the first place. In a dazzling display of original thinking, Little explains—in clear and simple words--how to do exactly that."

    —Edward Hallowell, M.D., Harvard Medical School Faculty retired, author of Driven to Distraction among many other books

  • "In CHILDHOOD NARCISSISM, Dr. Little brings together her years of clinical experience in the two fields of child development and personality disorders. This book is meticulously researched and very readable with clear descriptions and examples. It is a rare contribution that is an excellent resource for the clinician as well as an invaluable guidebook for parents.”

    — Margalis Fjelstad, Ph.D., author of Stop Caretaking the Borderline or Narcissist: How to End the Drama and Get on with Life and Raising Resilient Children with a Borderline or Narcissistic Parent

  • "Dr. Mary Ann Little is a master therapist who has brilliantly synthesized years of research and theory to make a very practical guide that parents and clinicians can use to tackle the challenging problem of childhood narcissism. She is deserving of the title “mother whisperer” as she has unique expertise in helping parents understand the importance of raising empathetic and caring children and showing them how to build healthy parent-child relationships. Her special brand of wisdom and clinical insight culminate in a book that belongs on every parent's nightstand as well as in every psychology graduate student’s backpack and clinician’s bookshelf."

    — Matthew Housson, Ph.D., CEO: The Housson Center, and Co-Founder of the non-profit: Parenting for the Present Podcast

  • "CHILDHOOD NARCISSISM is my nominee for the Best Nonfiction Book of the year. An authorial achievement of the highest order. This is psychology at its finest. It’s clear—every parent should have a Dr. Little."

    — J. Martin Brown, Ph.D., Retired Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Supervisor, Department of Psychology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas

  • “Every parent’s deepest desire is to raise healthy and happy children. However, we see so much narcissistic entitlement in our culture, social media and in people around us, we become anxious, and even a bit overwhelmed, that our kids might turn out that way. There is a significant gap in parenting books that cover how to prevent narcissism during these critical years. Dr. Little’s book fills that gap and is a gem of a contribution. Her style is warm and vulnerable, and the content is based on solid research, along with her own career experiences as a psychologist. And you can begin applying the practical “how-to” parenting steps immediately. We really can have happy healthy kids who will then grow up to be unselfish, loving and successful adults.”

    —John Townsend, Ph.D., Psychologist and author of the New York Times bestselling Boundaries book series; Founder, Townsend Institute for Counseling and Leadership and Townsend Leadership Program

  • "Doctor Little has done a masterful job of creating a road map for understanding the development of narcissism and showing how to raise a healthy, non-narcissistic child. Information about child development and healthy parenting is presented with praise-worthy clarity and enhanced by very helpful charts and examples from her clinical experience. This book is an exceptional guide for parents, mental health professionals, and everyone who works with children."

    — Rycke Marshall, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UTSW Medical Center Dallas

  • "No one wants their child to grow up to be a narcissist, but young parents increasingly value privilege, vanity, and specialness over traits that lead to confidence and healthy relationships. In CHILDHOOD NARCISSISM, Dr. Little packs decades of practical experience into a guide for parents who want nuanced and actionable frameworks to better understand themselves and raise an unselfish and caring child. This book is a game changer. "

    — James Ray, Adjunct Faculty: Cox School of Business, Southern Methodist University and father of two

  • "In CHILDHOOD NARCISSISM, Dr. Little provides a collection of incredibly useful insights from her decades of clinical practice, proposes a framework for understanding paths toward development of narcissistic tendencies in childhood, and provides the reader with strategies for avoiding common parenting pitfalls and engendering healthy personality development. In a society that is fixated on external indicators of success, which are further reinforced through social media messaging, this book offers parents a perspective on how to carefully cultivate children’s sense of empathy for others, ability to manage life’s disappointments, and development of a balanced self-concept. A must-read for all parents."

    —Jennifer Phillips, PhD, Licensed Child Psychologist, Clinical Professor, Department Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry), Stanford University

  • "Doctor Little has done a superb job of addressing and elucidating the growing problem of narcissism in children and teens. This book is well thought out and provides much needed information regarding the origins, manifestations and interventions for youth struggling with this problem. A real strength of the book is in the clear and practical examples and suggestions for parents about what “to do” and “not to do” in their parenting approaches. The discussion of the two critical dimensions of parenting—the view of the child and the treatment of the child—is especially helpful. This book is a must-read for parents who are trying to push back against the growing tide of narcissism in our society and raise well adjusted, confident and unselfish children."

    —Dr. Ted Asay, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, author of Finding Peace in Difficult Times