Toxic People: 10 Ways Of Dealing With People Who Make Your Life Miserable [Paperback]

Lillian Glass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1997

Some people really can make you sick!

Is there anyone in your life-a relative, boss, friend, even a lover or spouse-who drives you crazy? Are there people who make you feel inadequate, unworthy, or just plain miserable? If there's someone who is not supportive and does not wish you well, then you've got a "toxic" person in your life.

Do you recognize any of these toxic terrors?

-The opportunistic user
-The control freak
-The meddler
-The arrogant know-it-all
-The me, myself, and I narcissist
-The instigator
-The emotional refrigerator
-The liar

Dr. Glass not only helps you identify the "toxic" people in your life, she also provides ten techniques for successfully dealing with them, including:

-Tension-blowout
-Unplugging
-Direct confrontation
-Humor

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Certain people seem to exist to make us miserable. Glass, a California "communications expert," terms these terrors Toxic People and identifies 30 types, some with humorous labels such as the Smiling Two-Faced Sneaky Back-Stabber and the Eddie Haskell. She provides a Toxic People Quiz to help readers identify which category a suspect toxic terror falls into and suggests 10 techniques to handle these folk: Humor, Direct Confront, Calm Questioning, Give-Them-Hell-and-Yell, Love and Kindness, Vicarious Fantasy, etc. And since we're all toxic, to some degree, a section on Toxic Comments and a Toxic Image Inventory are offered to help readers identify their own destructive behaviors. While the book doesn't rise above pop psychology, it is entertaining. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Forget Dale Carnegie: Glass is riding to your rescue." --West Coast Review of Books

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (February 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312152329
• ISBN-13: 978-0312152321
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.8 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Codependency

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 74 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Is an Excellent Read! August 8, 2000

By Cindy

Format:Paperback

Lillian Glass writes a highly intelligent book on how to deal with the negative people in this world who live to create tensions for others - and let's face it, they're everywhere! I originally bought the book because I worked for a very difficult woman(she was what the author referred to as "The Competitor"). I needed some advice desperately, and this book came to my rescue all the way. It offers ways in which to recognize toxic people, and many strategies on coping with their behavior. It helped me learn how to deal with negative behavior tactfully and maturely. There aren't many books on the market today that offer that. I followed the tips and suggestions, and my interpersonal skills have improved dramatically. I am in total agreement with the author about how the cause of most toxic behavior is rooted in jealousy. As for some of the negative reviews on this book----quite frankly, I'm baffled. I felt the author was extremely astute. I myself, found the book to be very helpful and insightful.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to Read, helps you categorize toxic ones in your life March 24, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I found this book helpful. I never realized how many different kinds of toxic people there are and how even I can be toxic in several categories. This book has helped me learn how to confront difficult people in my life, and when the situation calls for it, unplug completely as no one is worth losing my self image over.

Dr. Glass uses real life stories from patients to encourage readers that there is hope to recover from the effects toxic people have on us. It's easy to read and see people you know in each of her descriptions of the toxic individuals. Now I am seeing how I too can be toxic and am working towards eliminating patterns that keep me around negative people.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A neat tool for survival! October 26, 2000

By Sal

Format:Paperback

I bought this book sometime ago, I've read it several times, and boy does Lillian Glass provide the reader with a ton of useful information on how to deal with all the difficult monsters who try to transform you life into a nightmare. Lillian Glass plots each toxic type of personality in chronological order, and then goes on to explain how to deal with these people in an effective way that leaves you with your sanity. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to improve their relationships, both personal and professional. Remeber, the people round you do affect the quality of your life and this book is an effective tool to help you rid yourself of all the monsters who want to turn it into a nightmare!