Book of The Month: “5 Types of People Who Can Ruin Your Life” by Bill Eddy

Editor’s note:  My sisters and I have been discovering that age brings wisdom that mostly escaped us in our younger years. This book, and the people it describes, have been central to my understanding of what Eddy calls "High Conflict Personalities" (HCPs) who have successfully made me their "Target of Blame" (TOB). If this sounds even vaguely familiar to you, I recommend picking up the book. While it does concentrate on research-based definitions of narcissism and borderline personality disorder that underlie most HCPs, more importantly it suggests ways that enablers like me can lovingly cut the cord with these individuals. These personality types share one common tragic flaw: they simply cannot bear responsibility for their own lives.

Excerpt:

“Here’s the good news: You can trust 80-90% of humanity, people to be who say who they are, to do what they say they will do, and to follow most of the social rules that help us live together…The bad news: About 10% of humanity can ruin your reputation, rob your self-esteem or even destroy your career.”

Read it for yourself here