The vampires in this book are people who are antisocial, histrionic, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive and paranoid and exhibit qualities that can be both charming and dangerous. If you don't understand them, vampires can draw you in, drive you crazy, and drain you dry. In this book, Dr. Albert Bernstein reveals the secrets that will protect you once and for all.

Emotional Vampires are out there . . . masquerading as ordinary people. Look down the street, where your charming neighbor oozes cordiality as he spreads stories behind your back. Look in the next cubicle, at that fast-rising corporate player who is paying so much attention to the machinations of office politics that she doesn't have time to actually do her job---she expects you to do it for her.

Emotional Vampires may lurk in your office, in your family, and in your circle of friends; perhaps they even share your bed. Chances are, you know all too many of them. Bright, talented, and charismatic, they win your trust, your confidence, and your affection--then drain you of your emotional energy. Take heart as you walk through the darkness, it doesn't have to be that way--the more you know about vampires, the less power they have over you.

Whether you're stalked by self-serving Narcissists, hedonistic Antisocials, exhausting Paranoids, or over-the-top Histrionic drama queens, this book will help you to protect yourself by teaching you to recognize the various vampire types before they get close enough to do damage, and what to do if you find yourself under attack. Emotional Vampires brings valuable advice, psychological perspective, much-needed humor to the most difficult and draining of human relationships.

Now you can take on those creatures of darkness with supersized egos and invisible consciences, the blood-sucking parasites who seem to think you exist only for their convenience, the monstrous tantrum-throwers who take no responsibility for their own actions, and even those poor little waifs who can't seem to do anything for themselves--tame them or send them back into the night to find easier prey. By the end of Emotional Vampires, you'll be armed with knowledge and tools, and all the confidence you need to take on the most draining people in your life and win without shedding the first drop of blood.

Albert J. Bernstein, Ph. D. (Portland, Oregon), is the author of Dinosaur Brains, Neanderthals at Work, and Sacred Bull. A clinical psychologist, speaker, columnist, and business consultant, Dr. Bernstein is well known for teaching people to confront difficult and frightening situations with wit, wisdom, grace, and liberal doses of humor.

Emotional Vampires helps you deal with those coworkers, friends, and family members who would like nothing better than to drain your emotional and psychological well-being. Giving you the keys to understanding the nature of their behaviors and the way their brains work, Dr. Bernstein details a whole range of personality types and human responses and shows you what to expect and what to watch out for. Learn to spot the "vampires" in your life, and discover a range of defense strategies for when you find yourself under attack.