We are talking today about social media narcissism and other harmful effects of using social media; like cyberbullying and the growth of the mental health crisis among today’s youth. My guest, Lena Derhally, helps us to better understand these topics during our conversation and in her newest book, The Facebook Narcissist: How to Identify and Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones from Social Media Narcissism.  Not only do we discuss social media, but we also delve into narcissism and how it shows up and is exacerbated by social media.

This episode is not a call to arms to deactivate your social media accounts. Instead, it is a reminder to be mindful of social media and its effects on all facets of our lives, as well as a reminder to learn how to protect ourselves and our kids from the negative effects we are seeing from social media today.

Show Highlights

• Why is narcissism such a huge topic right now? (4:22)
• How some narcissists are exploitive in nature and what that actually means (10:24)
• The subtypes of narcissism: grandiose, vulnerable, communal, and collective (6:29)
• How social media affects narcissism and narcissistic behaviors (24:16)
• The addictive nature of social media, influencer culture, and the effects on mental health (33:37)
• How the narcissistic thread in social media is impacting our relationships (40:21)
• Social media, cyberbullying, and its role in the growing mental health crisis of children (51:41)
• Why Lena believes there needs to be more resources and attention on the effects of social media (52:12)
• How to be an empathetic digital citizen (58:07)

Learn more about Lena Derhally:

Lena Derhally is a Washington DC-based licensed and Imago certified psychotherapist in private practice. She is the author of the Amazon True Crime and Criminology bestseller, My Daddy is a Hero: How Chris Watts Went from Family Man to Family Killer, and the forthcoming pop psychology book, The Facebook Narcissist: How to Identify and Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones from Social Media Narcissism. Her work and expertise have been featured in Oprah Magazine, SELF, Glamour, The Washington Post, A&E, Hollywood Life, The Huffington Post, Law and Crime, Tubi TV, and more. She was formerly a clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the George Washington School of Medicine, where she mentored medical students, and she is on the advisory board of 1455 Literary Arts.

Resources & Links:

Book a Sanity Saver Session in May or June
Lena on Instagram 
Lena on Facebook (author page) 
Lena’s website
How to Protect Yourself From Digital Abuse with Adam Dodge

TODAY’S EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY:
THE DIVORCE SURVIVAL PROGRAM