Preview

Cultural Narcissism

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2629 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Cultural Narcissism
Is American Culture Breeding a Society of Narcissists?
Melati S. Frankfort
California State University Channel Islands

Abstract

In America today, it seems we live in an individualist culture based on materialism, self-indulgence, grandiosity, and a quest for fame or infamy via reality shows and social networking sites, and that these values have replaced those of family, morality, and community. Is then American culture breeding a society of narcissists fueled by the self-esteem movement that commenced in the 1970s? Is the current state of constant mainstream media coverage on overly exuberant celebrities flaunting their wealth, along with the ability of anyone to post their private lives on the internet for public viewing making narcissism the norm? Can narcissism as a personality disorder be applied dimensionally to an entire culture in a social psychology context? This paper will explore theories on cultural narcissism, the roots of narcissism dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries when the first individualism movement emerged, and how in recent history focus has again shifted on the individual with the dawn of the self-esteem movement of the 1970s, its resulting effect on current generations, and potential effect on future generations in the form of cultural narcissism.

Is American Culture Breeding a Society of Narcissists? There is an assertion in cultural theory that the current cultural trend in America is fueling a narcissistic society, but that according to psychoanalytic theory, narcissism can only be applied to an individual as a diagnosed personality disorder that develops during childhood (Morales, 1995). Therefore, can narcissism be applied to define the state of an entire culture in in a social psychology context? In the DSM-IV-TR, narcissism is defined as a personality disorder consisting of a “pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy . . .” with at least five



References: American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.) Ashe, D. D., Maltby, J., & McCutcheon, L. E. (2005). Are celebrity-worshippers more prone to narcissism? A brief report Campbell, W. K. (2001). Is narcissism really so bad? Psychological Inquiry, 12(4), 214-216 Crockatt, F. (2006). Freud’s ‘On narcissism: an introduction.’ Journal of Child psychology? A taxometric analysis of the narcissistic personality inventory. Personality and Individual Differences, 43(6), 1321-1332 Goldman, I. U. (1991). Narcissism, social character, and communication: A Q- methodological perspective Knight, B. A. (2000). Watch me! Webcams and the public exposure of private lives Leeds, J. C. (2004). Against the vernacular: Ciceronian formalism and the problem of the individual Meronen, P. (1999). The return of narcissism: Heinz Kohut in the context of the history of ideas

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Cultural psychology is to discover links between psychology and culture of those who live in the culture (Shiraev & Levy, 2010). Cross-cultural psychology is a comparative and critical study of cultural effects on human psychology. The relationship between cultural and cross-cultural psychology is studying how culture and psychology are linked. Meta-thinking in cross-cultural psychology is a set of skills promoted to think critically, meta-thoughts are thoughts about thought in problem-solving (Shiraev & Levy, 2010). Research methodology in cross-cultural psychology is divided into two categories; quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative research involves measuring aspects of human activity from a comparative perspective, through observation. Qualitative research is conducted in a natural setting, primarily, and the participants carry out his or her daily activities in a non-research atmosphere (Shiraev & Levy, 2010).…

    • 1208 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    If social media only caused narcissism, it wouldn't be the worst thing. Instagram and Facebook are social networks that not only breed narcissistic tendencies but transform relations into a sexual rat race.…

    • 19919 Words
    • 80 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Narcissists are over-confident. They think they are special, so they can cheap during a relationship. Pat MacDonald, author of “Narcissism in the modern world”, claims that “Today is a huge emphasis self-admiration and a sense of entitlement ‘because I’m worth it’, which can involve in a failure to connect with others, echoing the plight of Narcissus”. (par.1) Over self- admiration leads narcissists to behave badly with their partners.…

    • 654 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    According to the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, categorizes Narcissistic personality disorder as being more prevalent in males than females, and is thought to occur in up to 6.2 percent of the general population. A 1person that has Narcissistic Personality Disorder tends to have an extensive sense of grandiosity. They have a need for admiration by their peers, they lack empathy, they have a sense of self-importance (they may even exaggerate their achievements and talents, or expects others to recognize their superiority without commensuration of their achievements), they also have a tendency to be preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, and beauty, they believe that they are "special" and “unique” and can only be understood by, or associate with, other special or high-status people, they have a false sense of entitlement, and set unreasonable expectations by exploiting, others to achieve their terminal goals, and they also believe that others are envious them; which causes them to have…

    • 1339 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    However, things such as social and cultural environments, parenting styles and the influence of other relationships can either encourage or deter its development. It would seem that narcissism is more common when an individual is a young adult, rather than when they are forty. That is the stage of life when people are more self-absorbed and have to figure out their way in life. It proves difficult for many and can contribute to the trait.…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout history psychoanalysts have conducted experiments and written papers on narcissism and have left their own theories about it. It wasn't until the 1980s that narcissism officially became known as a disorder by the DSM III. Today in the DSM-V, narcissism is under personality disorders and has a code of 301.81. Since the acknowledgment in the early 1900's there has been many cases and patients being…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Narcissism Inventory

    • 159 Words
    • 1 Page

    Narcissism. For the assessment of narcissism, the study employed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-16) (Ames, Rose & Anderson, 2006). The NPI-16 is a shorter, unidimensional version of the original 40-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-40) (Raskin & Terry, 1988). It constitutes a forced-choice format questionnaire consisting of 16 paired statements, for which the respondent selects the choice that best describes him/her. In each pair, one item is narcissistic (e.g. “I like to be the center of attention”) and the other is not (e.g. “I prefer to blend in with the crowd”). One point is scored for each narcissistic response, with higher scores indicating higher levels of narcissism. The NPI-16 has notable face, internal, discriminant…

    • 159 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Narcissism in Young People

    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages

    It all begun with the myth from Greek culture, which is the story behind the notion Narcissism. The myth tells us about the handsome youth Narcissus, who is obsessed with his own beauty. The myth tells that the Gods punish him, by letting him fall hopelessly in love with his own reflection, which he sees in the water of the lake. He turns mad and develops a desire to maltreat his…

    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Narcissism and individualism have increased heavily in the past decades, motivated by many factors including the media, technology, and the education system. This is concerning. Modern society encourages the influence of narcissism, simply because the factors that are motivated are the basis of a growing civilization. As technology evolves, the act of narcissism increases. This would mean that young people are at greater risk every passing year. The outcome behind narcissism and individualism would lead to social and political conflict. Studies have shown that the act of narcissism will cause negative consequences, and that, it can be problematic for an evolving society. The idealistic solution to a successful society is to exceed all social…

    • 256 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Narcissism Essay

    • 1699 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Researchers noted that narcissists were likely to keep a romantic relationship if they felt the person was highly ‘communal’ (warm, mutual, and supporting) (Thomaes & Bushman, 2012). Therefore, researchers were able to test that if narcissistic people were primed to see themselves as possessing communal attributions, they were likely to act as such (Thomaes & Bushman, 2012). In another experiment, it was found that narcissistic people were able to keep aggressive behaviors at bay if they were able to perceive a similarity (real or constructed) within the people in which they interact (Thomaes & Bushman, 2012). Subsequently, Thomaes and Bushman (2012) concluded that therapy, which incorporated components of communal behavior–such as Mindfulness-based interventions that include aspects of empathetic meditation–or well-directed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can assist narcissists with relationship failures, aggressive behaviors, and self-defeating practices. To complement Thomaes and Bushman (2012) abilities to empirically test strategies for treating NPD, Diamond and Meehan (2013) was able to present insight for managing a session with a narcissistic…

    • 1699 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This article by Jane Brody is about narcissist, a personality disorder that is likely to be found in males, getting more severe as they age. According to Jane Brody (2016), narcissist exists in 0.5 percent of the whole population and 6 percent of those who already experienced mental issues before. Being arrogant, aggressive, inconsiderate and rebellious are some of the symptoms of narcissistic. Bullies, for example, might suffer from narcissist because they tend to be overconfident and prey on people that have better lives than they do. They act in such way due to the lack of positivity and neediness in their life, such as a beautiful family, friendships, and love. These are some theorized determinants of this disorder. Narcissist is controlled by the patient. Therefore, the only possible solution to narcissist is a therapy that involves communication and attempting to understand helping the patient to change their self to a healthier human.…

    • 251 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    But one must be careful to generalize narcissism as something to avoid -- An article written by Pat MacDonald entitled ''Narcissism in the modern world'' illustrates healthy and unhealthy narcissism. The author states that ''healthy narcissism involves a steady sense of one's worth, based on genuine achievement, the capacity to recover from disappointment or failure and the ability…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Life Of Narcissism

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Times have change especially the love of oneself has dramatically increased to more than 80% compared from 1960s to the earlier 2000s. Even babies at a young age develop a sense of high self-esteem based on one’s reaction to what they do. The idea of self-admiration has blinded American culture, and the need to boast about one’s accomplishment has been increased (pp. 13-17).…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The theme of Narcissism is a self-centered love. Narcissism is when you love the way you look more than you love others, it is being obsessed with the way you look. The TV show Jersey Shore is a show where there are eight people living in a house and they go partying every night and they are all obsessed with the way they look. The TV show Jersey Shore represents the theme of Narcissism because the cast members of Jersey shore are all obsessed with the way they look, they go to the gym every day, they spend way too much time on their hair and on their clothes.…

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Enough About You

    • 272 Words
    • 1 Page

    In this article narcissism is being discussed. Narcissism fuels drive and ambition, it is a desire to be recognized for one’s accomplishments. Unfortunately narcissism takes over someone’s personality. This will impair individual’s ability to form normal relationships. A lot of problems in the world today come from people wanting to be in charge. Some don’t know how to work well with others and get a big head thinking they know it all. Having the most power is the main goal for many people in the world today. It seems like nobody wants to work together anymore, it’s always about who can outdo the other.…

    • 272 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays