A narcissist is reputed to be in love with their own reflection and thus happy. Nothing could be further from the truth than this common notion. Narcissism is a reaction to severe trauma and, as Symington demonstrates, underlies all mental disorders. Narcissistic symptoms shape the behavior of an increasing number of contemporaries who suffer from self-isolation and seek to escape it through often disastrous actions. The groundbreaking insight from the analyst and clinician Symington is that the widespread narcissistic disorders, which burden or even thwart so many partnerships, are surmountable.