The Insatiable Self

Narcissism is everywhere at the moment – as a pop-culture buzzword, a moral reproach, a description of contemporary society, or as a clinical diagnosis. But what is behind this omnipresence? And why are narcissistic people impossible to satisfy – why are they insatiable? In this groundbreaking new book, Thomas Arnold and Thomas Fuchs articulate a new, phenomenological existentialist view of narcissism. They frame the narcissistic relationship to the self and the world as an expression of an existential emptiness: a physically felt lack of self-worth that can never be permanently satisfied by external validation, attractiveness, or power.

At the same time, narcissism is a mirror of the late-modern soul, and especially in a culture of individualization – from social media to therapy, from the Greek figure of Echo to Instagram – it is important to understand why external validation is never enough. Arnold and Fuchs bring together philosophical, sociological, psychological, and psychodynamic insights to gain a deeper understanding of the structures of narcissistic subjectivity in individuals and society. Is there such a thing as a healthy form of narcissism? Why are genuine encounters so difficult for narcissists? And what do virtuality, conspiracy theories, and extremist politics have to do with narcissism? A highly topical book that holds up a mirror to our reality.