Narcissism is a personality disorder in which an individual has an inflated sense of self-importance (Campbell & Baumeister, 2006). This personality disorder is also characterized by excessive attention and admiration and a lack of empathy for others. The narcissist personal disorder (NPD) lies on a continuum from healthy to pathological. As such, there is healthy narcissism and unhealthy narcissism. The former is part of normal human functioning. Healthy narcissism manifests itself in a number of ways, such as healthy self-love that is founded on real achievement. However, narcissism becomes an issue when a person starts to have an inflated sense of self-importance (Campbell & Baumeister, 2006). Social scientists claim that narcissism has become a modern epidemic. According to Campbell and Twenge (2013), narcissism is on the rise. Social scientists and other experts are worried about the increase in narcissism in America. This is because individuals with this type of personality disorder tend to bring plenty of negative experiences not only to themselves but also to those around them. This paper will delve into discussing why narcissism is on the rise in America.
The spike in narcissism can be attributed to the use of social media. Technology and social media, which includes social networking sites (SNSs) like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, allows social media users to focus more on themselves, moving society from collectivism toward an attitude of individualism (Burgemeester, n.d). The entire point of SNSs is to allow individuals to express their own thoughts. SNSs can drive the need to stand out. In addition, it can drive out the need to be special in an e-crowd. The Internet and the use of social media have provided tools that encourage narcissistic behavior (Burgemeester, n.d). In addition, the youth are consequentially more susceptible. This is because they are the ones that social media the most.
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The increase in narcissism can also be attributed to the self-esteem movement, a movement whose objective is to promote the self-esteem of young people. It is important to support young people. This is because it helps them have a sense of confidence as they grow. However, if out of balance, it can lead to negative outcomes (Burgemeester, n.d). Most often, it facilitates the development of narcissistic characteristics. The self-esteem movement involves praising people, regardless of their achievement. Thus, even those who come out last in the competition are rewarded. These false rewards often backfire. This is because it gives individuals a sense of achievement. This results in a generation of people who think too highly of themselves. This, in turn, facilitates narcissistic characteristics.
Narcissism is on the rise because our culture rewards narcissists. There are certain aspects of our culture that encourage narcissism (Burgemeester, n.d). For example, Western culture is infatuated with success, as it promotes individuals with successful traits. This encourages narcissism as it makes individuals become obsessed with success. In addition to rewarding narcissists, there are some cultures that promote individualism over collectivism. For example, American culture promotes individualism. This is what explains the significant increase in narcissism in American than other nations. In other words, narcissism is more prevalent in individualistic cultures than in collectivist cultures (Vater et al., 2018). In individualistic cultures, individuals care about themselves than others.
The rise in narcissism can also be pointed to the industrial and post-industrial times. During these times, society witnessed a societal shift from collectivism to individualism (Remes, 2016). The rise in individualism, as well as the decline in social norms that accompanied the modernization of society, contributed to the rise of narcissism. This is because people are no longer embedded in social networks. As the social fabric deteriorated, “the question moved from what is best for other people and the family to what is best for me” (Remes, 2016, n.p). All these factors, combined with the breakdown in social ties, contributed to the rise of narcissism in America.
References
Burgemeester, A. (n.d). How our society and culture rewards narcissists. [Online]. Retrieved July 15, 2020, from https://www.alustforlife.com/the-bigger-picture/how-our-society-and-culture-rewards-narcissists
Campbell, W. K., & Baumeister, R. F. (2006). Narcissistic personality disorder. In Practitioner’s guide to evidence-based psychotherapy (pp. 423-431). Springer, Boston, MA.
Campbell, W. K., & Twenge, J. M. (2013). Narcissism unleashed. Observer –Association for Psychological Science (APS) , 26 (10).
Remes, O. (2016). Why are we becoming so narcissistic? Here’s the science. [Online]. Retrieved July 15, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/why-are-we-becoming-so-narcissistic-heres-the-science-55773
Vater, A., Moritz, S., & Roepke, S. (2018). Does a narcissism epidemic exist in modern western societies? Comparing narcissism and self-esteem in East and West Germany. PloS one , 13 (1), e0188287.
