This podcast features an interview where a listener asks about the difference between malignant narcissism and sociopathy. The expert guest, Frank Yeomans, explains that sociopaths lack concern for others, while malignant narcissists, despite grandiosity, exhibit a fragile desire for connection, creating internal conflict. This internal conflict offers hope for therapeutic intervention, unlike the lack of conflict in sociopaths. The discussion further explores what might lead a malignant narcissist to therapy (often family concerns or self-awareness), the nature of their feelings of inadequacy, the link between narcissism and substance abuse, and the potential for functional, albeit dysfunctional, family structures in such cases.
