Talking to ...Fiona Girkin

What happens when, in a society that considers itself free of all
intellectual taboos, you pursue a question perceived as highly
embarrassing, even awkward? This is exactly what happened when
Fiona Girkin (after a disturbing personal experience) decided to
write a doctoral thesis exploring how female narcissism manifests
in the workplace. While male narcissism is well known as the
Napoleon complex and even as a form of delusions of grandeur, the
female variant is a much more psychologically complex issue, with
many candidates portraying themselves as pitiful victims—a
strategy that makes deciphering their behavior extremely
difficult and even a social taboo. After all, who would want to
accuse such a pitiful person of being the real culprit, namely
the workplace bully? That Fiona Girkin was prepared to juxtapose
the male hero’s journey with a »victim’s journey« was an
institutional scandal for the Tasmanian police force, for which
she worked as a trainer and consultant. Even though all the
stories the police officers told her while on duty supported her
version, merely mentioning the possibility of dark personalities
in women touched on a long-held social taboo.


Dr. Fiona Girkin is an Australian counselor who studies and
teaches about female narcissism. In addition to her counseling
practice and consultation services, she also runs a YouTube
channel.


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