Is there an epidemic of narcissism today?

[seabeyond]

With a new book called The Narcissism Epidemic, the first and most obvious question is, "How do you know there's an epidemic?" The evidence comes in two forms: Changes among individuals, and changes in the culture. Josh Foster (of the University of South Alabama) and I are releasing a study today showing that narcissistic traits are increasing even faster than we previously thought. From 2002 to 2007, college students' scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) rose twice as fast as we'd found in an earlier study that covered changes between 1982 and 2006. (The NPI measures narcissistic traits among the normal population, not necessarily rising to the level of a clinical diagnosis).

The increase in narcissism was stronger for women than for men in both datasets. Men are still more narcissistic than women on average, but women are catching up fast. This makes some sense, as a lot of the cultural push toward narcissism (see below) has a bigger effect on girls and women. Then there's the shocking data recently released by researchers from the National Institutes of Health. They surveyed a nationally representative sample of 35,000 Americans about symptoms that can add up to Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), the more severe, clinical form of the trait. They asked if someone had ever experienced these symptoms in their lifetime, so you'd expect that older people would have a much higher rate than younger people since they've lived more years. However, the data go the opposite direction: Only 3% of people over 65 had ever experienced NPD, compared to nearly 10% of people in their twenties. It's possible that older people forgot some symptoms from earlier in their lives, but that would have to be a large amount of forgetting to account for this big a discrepancy. With almost 1 out of 10 people in their twenties already experiencing NPD, it's sobering to realize how high that number might go in the coming decades.

There have also been big changes in behavior - cultural changes that are often started by more narcissistic people and then draw in the less narcissistic. Plastic surgery and procedures are up by a factor of six in just ten years. Materialistic attitudes have increased, and people are more willing to go into debt to afford the best - right now. Celebrity gossip magazines are more popular while the circulation of other magazines and newspapers have plummeted. My favorite anecdotal example: It is now possible to hire fake paparazzi to follow you around when you go out at night so you can pretend you're famous. This was unheard of just five years ago. For more on what the book covers, see our book website.

So the whole society has become more narcissistic - not just the people, but our entire value system.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissism-epidemic/200905/is-there-epidemic-narcissism-today

Narcissism, or excessive self-love, is marked by bloated confidence, vanity, materialism, and a lack of consideration for others. Yet narcissistic personality traits have become so pervasive in American culture that they threaten to transform us into a nation of egomaniacs, research psychologists Jean Twenge and W. Keith Campbell say in their new book The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement.

Twenge and her team at San Diego State University also report today in a new study that narcissism continues to spread quickly among college students, especially young women. Considering how cultural influences on girls have changed in the past decade, that's not surprising, says Twenge. Plastic surgery rates have jumped since the 1990s, and materialism is increasingly being emphasized in song lyrics, for example, she says.

*

What's fueling the rise in narcissism?
The four causes that we identify in the book are parenting, celebrity culture, media and the Internet, and easy credit. For example, with parenting, in an attempt to raise kids with self-esteem, many parents will tell their kid they're the best ever and they'll treat them like royalty, placing the child at the center of the household. In a limited way, that's fine, but it's often taken too far. When you put a kid on a pedestal, that type of parenting, it's been shown, leads to narcissism. With celebrities, you watch the Real Housewives of New York City [or] My Super Sweet 16, and the narcissistic traits are just obvious in every episode. Reality TV shows in general are highly narcissistic, and [reality TV stars] are the most narcissistic of all celebrities, in the study that Dr. Drew Pinsky did. What concerns me about that is that those are the shows that are really popular among young people. They're supposed to show real life; they're not supposed to be scripted or fictionalized. What they really are is a showcase for narcissistic people and behavior that makes narcissism seem normal.

What about the Internet and easy credit?
MySpace and Facebook often encourage people to highlight only narcissistic parts of their personality. People rarely talk about how much they like reading War and Peace on MySpace. Instead, it's that picture that makes me look hot, it's that cool party I went to, it's the cool friends that I have, it's here's my cool music. With young teens, I wonder if that will shape their identities so that in real life they'll start emphasizing those parts of their personalities more. Finally, easy credit allows people to look better off than they actually are. It fuels their sense of entitlement because they can get something without having to pay for it [immediately]. We're now seeing the consequences of that because, guess what, you do have to pay for it.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/04/21/narcissism-epidemic-why-there-are-so-many-narcissists-now


Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. Those with narcissistic personality disorder believe that they're superior to others and have little regard for other people's feelings. But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism.

Narcissistic personality disorder is one of several types of personality disorders. Personality disorders are conditions in which people have traits that cause them to feel and behave in socially distressing ways, limiting their ability to function in relationships and in other areas of their life, such as work or school.

Narcissistic personality disorder treatment is centered around psychotherapy.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652/DSECTION=symptoms

[seabeyond]

1. symptoms.

Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by dramatic, emotional behavior, which is in the same category as antisocial and borderline personality disorders.

Narcissistic personality disorder symptoms may include:

Believing that you're better than others

Fantasizing about power, success and attractiveness

Exaggerating your achievements or talents

Expecting constant praise and admiration

Believing that you're special and acting accordingly

Failing to recognize other people's emotions and feelings

Expecting others to go along with your ideas and plans

Taking advantage of others

Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior

Being jealous of others

Believing that others are jealous of you

Trouble keeping healthy relationships

Setting unrealistic goals

Being easily hurt and rejected

Having a fragile self-esteem

Appearing as tough-minded or unemotional

[Rambis]

2. That describes 50% or more of the college students I see every day

[MadrasT]

3. Before I clicked the heading...

...and I just saw the title, I thought this was about DU and thought, "Shouldn't this perhaps be posted in H&M?"




Back to the topic... I don't know if it is worse now than before, but I agree there is a whole lot of narcissism going on in the world, in the U.S. especially.

Of course, narcissists are very vocal and compete for attention, so they are generally more visible than non-narcissists (as they intentionally make themselves noticeable).

(Not saying that everyone who is very vocal is also a narcissist, but I believe there is a correlation.)

[seabeyond]

9. you know what is really funny? i found myself going to this subject after reading h/m just now

the whole reason for me being attracted to this was that forum.

what a hoot....

[iverglas]

4. that all seems to be a bit of a mishmash (edited)

I admit to not having clicked, but was any thought at all given to the pressures on girls and women that consist of pressure to conform to an idealized/stereotyped image?

Plastic surgery, for instance, would seem to me to be as often an expression of profound insecurity as an expression of exaggerated self-love.

I think the author is playing a bit fast and loose with the terms. Personality disorders aren't just unpleasant personality traits. Narcissism is exaggerated self-love and self-absorption. Narcissistic personality disorder centres on the individual's disregard for others; it is the least severe on the continuum that goes through antisocial personality disorder and up to psychopathy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malignant_narcissism#Spectrum_of_pathological_narcissism_and_psychopathy

Kernberg believed that malignant narcissism should be considered part of a spectrum of pathological narcissism, which he saw as ranging from the Cleckley's antisocial character (today's psychopath or antisocial personality) at the high end of severity, through malignant narcissism, and then to narcissistic personality disorder at the low end.[7] The malignant narcissist thus represents a less extreme form of pathological narcissism than psychopathy. Individuals with narcissistic personality disorder, malignant narcissism, and psychopathy all display similar traits which are outlined in the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. (The traits in the checklist are common amongst individuals with psychological disorders. The psychopath/malignant narcissist must display a strong tendency towards these characteristics.)

I think I'd tend to diagnose the Facebook denizens and their cool stuff as shallow, rather than tending toward NPD.
(Oops; NDP is the party I vote for.)


edit - I think the Mayo list of traits associated with the disorder are too non-specific, and they really aren't valid for a diagnosis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_Psychopathy_Checklist

The two factors
<Factor 1 is labelled "selfish, callous and remorseless use of others". Factor 2 is labelled as "chronically unstable, antisocial and socially deviant lifestyle".>

Factor 1: Personality "Aggressive narcissism"

Glibness/superficial charm
Grandiose sense of self-worth
Pathological lying
Cunning/manipulative
Lack of remorse or guilt
Shallow affect (genuine emotion is short-lived and egocentric)
Callousness; lack of empathy
Failure to accept responsibility for own actions

Factor 2: Case history "Socially deviant lifestyle".

Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
Parasitic lifestyle
Poor behavioral control
Lack of realistic long-term goals
Impulsivity
Irresponsibility
Juvenile delinquency
Early behavior problems
Revocation of conditional release

Traits not correlated with either factor

Promiscuous sexual behavior
Many short-term marital relationships
Criminal versatility
Acquired behavioural sociopathy/sociological conditioning (Item 21: a newly identified trait i.e. a person relying on sociological strategies and tricks to deceive)

[Lionessa]

5. You've got such a good point, along the same lines

I was thinking that women having a higher jump in narcissism to becoming nearly equal to men isn't a bad thing, in that it means women are becoming less agreeable to being doormats for the males in their lives, a good thing I think.

[MadrasT]

17. Agreed.

It isn't all bad.

Although I don't think healthy self-esteem and self-care are the same as "narcisissm" (and this point confuses some folks).

For example, if women who have historically been less assertive and less caring of themselves (i.e., caring about/for everyone else in the world before caring about/for themselves) come to a turning point and start to care about themselves as important people, all kinds of awful accusations start getting hurled around. ("Self centered", "selfish", "narcissistic", etc.)

Ask me how I know...




...on second thought, don't.

Don't even know if that makes any sense, I'm tired.

[seabeyond]

19. there is always the caretaker in the family. does not have to be a parent.

i was the caretaker in mine. everyone got to go off the emotions adn i would wakl into the house, take the temp of what was up and then go from person to person to find out the issue, see all sides, nad then proceed to fix it.

it was expected of me. and i provided.

in my twenties i had to decide if i continued or if i said no. if i continued, then i had to look at it as a gift, both for me and to those i love and not resent it.

but, i did draw the lines. i can see how some would then think that i was being selfish. but my people didnt. they accepted both my line and what i was willing to do and do to this day.

[jeff47]

6. I started reading this, but got bored quickly since it wasn't about me.

[seabeyond]

10. lol. you are funny. nt

[Baitball Blogger]

7. Didn't John Edwards say that he did the things he did because of narcissim?

[seabeyond]

11. i dont know, but would certainly jive with what i have seen of the man. nt

[Baitball Blogger]

13. I don't know anything about the source, but I don't think this was the only place I read it.

"In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic," said Edwards in a statement released this week to the media. "I started to think, hey, why shouldn't I father a baby for an American Idol runner-up? Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, doggone it, people like me!"

http://www.crystalair.com/story.php?id=200808008

I did come across other references, but I don't know if it's satire or the real thing.

[JTFrog]

20. It says Satire right on the tab at the top of the browser.

Although I can't for the life of me see how anyone could have taken that seriously.

[Baitball Blogger]

21. Because this may not have been the original place I had seen it.

However, I included that disclaimer because I saw that Satire comment too. I did a search for the quote and it does turn up in different places. But I didn't recognize any of the sources.

I'll look again to see if he made the statement, and people later made fun of it.

[Baitball Blogger]

22. It is turning up in other places.

Not that exact quote, which is probably satire, but a statement was made in Psychology Today that Edwards had referred to himself as a narcissist on 8/8/8:

"Unfortunately, that’s where my good news ends. You see, Edwards used “narcissism” on 08/08/08 in a statement admitting that he had, indeed, had an extramarital affair with Rielle Hunter, exactly as The National Enquirer had been asserting for weeks. Sounding just like a shrink, Mr. Edwards’ rationale for doing “the naughty” with Ms. Hunter was that success clouded his judgment. In his own words: "In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic." I can hear Dana Carvey (as the Church Lady) saying: “Now isn’t that special…?”

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-business-coach/200808/john-edwards-self-deceiving-psycho-diagnostician

[JTFrog]

23. Not probably satire. Definitely satire.

My point was, you said you didn't know if it what you posted in post #13 was satire when it was clearly marked satire. Did you really think that John Edwards said the things quoted in the satirical article? "I started to think, hey, why shouldn't I father a baby for an American Idol runner-up? Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, doggone it, people like me!", "or more than my wife has beaten me up, at one point with a stainless steel barbecue fork", etc?

Seriously? You didn't know?

Here is the actual transcript from the 08/08/08 interview you reference in post #22: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/08/john-edwards-st.html

It is inadequate to say to the people who believed in me that I am sorry, as it is inadequate to say to the people who love me that I am sorry. In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic.

If you want to beat me up -- feel free. You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself. I have been stripped bare and will now work with everything I have to help my family and others who need my help.

John Edwards admitting to being narcissistic is kind of a "Duh" moment. No need to try to make him seem worse than he already is.

[Baitball Blogger]

24. I'm thrilled that I was able to remotely remember something that

was four years old. At my age, that's as good as it gets.

What I was unsure of, was whether the statement I read four years ago was legit to begin with. I became even more unsure when I read the one that we now know is satire.

And I disagree with with you. The first time I read it, I was shocked when I read that he claimed he was narcissistic. Maybe that is the Supreme King of Narcissism, when someone embraces it?

[glinda]

8. This is an important post IMHO.

I see it seriously in clinical forms all over the place. Facebook really nurtures it also for some who are well on the way there.

[raccoon]

12. I think our whole mediated and advertising-saturated culture nurtures it. nt

[MadrasT]

14. Article linking Facebook & narcisissm

Saw this one a couple weeks ago in The Guardian...

Facebook's 'dark side': study finds link to socially aggressive narcissism

Researchers have established a direct link between the number of friends you have on Facebook and the degree to which you are a "socially disruptive" narcissist, confirming the conclusions of many social media skeptics.

People who score highly on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory questionnaire had more friends on Facebook, tagged themselves more often and updated their newsfeeds more regularly.

The research comes amid increasing evidence that young people are becoming increasingly narcissistic, and obsessed with self-image and shallow friendships. The latest study, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, also found that narcissists responded more aggressively to derogatory comments made about them on the social networking site's public walls and changed their profile pictures more often.

A number of previous studies have linked narcissism with Facebook use, but this is some of the first evidence of a direct relationship between Facebook friends and the most "toxic" elements of narcissistic personality disorder.

More at link: Facebook's Dark Side

[iverglas]

15. phew!

I have half a dozen Facebook accounts, but a grand total of zero Facebook friends.

Narcissism really is a feature of the normal child/adolescent personality. Their universe revolves around them. Developing awareness of and empathy for other beings is one of the most important parts of the "maturing" process (moderating risk-taking behaviour being another).

When that process doesn't happen, we have a personality disorder, from narcissistic to psychopathic.

How much of what is seen on Facebook is just natural adolescent narcissism, though?

Of course I don't doubt the findings that there are people on Facebook with such personality disorders. I just don't know what the relationship between social media and the prevalence of such disorders might be. Are people who have them just more visible, more clearly, to more of the world, now? And of course, and I would say most importantly, do social media offer them a larger field of potential targets?

I'll just throw this in here -- it's the Drew Pinsky test, since he was referred to earlier in the thread:

http://www.oprah.com/relationships/The-Narcissistic-Personality-Inventory-Dr-Drew-Pinsky

We should all do it.

The most important thing to know is that the NPI is not a diagnostic instrument for a personality disorder. It will not tell you if you have narcissistic personality disorder; what this test documents is the taker's levels of various narcissistic traits.

You should also be aware that there is ongoing debate within the scientific community about the validity of measuring narcissism on the NPI or any other scale. Nor is everyone convinced that tests using this scale prove the existence of a trend toward increasing narcissism in our society. However, other studies have offered further independent evidence that the trend is increasing, and this conforms with our own experiences in the field.

http://www.oprah.com/relationships/The-Narcissistic-Personality-Inventory-Test

[MadrasT]

16. Yeah, people were running around saying

"Facebook causes narcissism! Look here's proof!"

But I was thinking that correlation=/=causation.

I had the same questions in my mind you mention here.

Just tossed it in the thread since we're talking narcissism.

(Going to keep my thoughts narcissists on DU to myself so as not to be accused of talking about people behind their backs.)

I can say that amongst my Facebook friends (who are all friends in real life), the most prolific posters do seem to be the most wildly narcissistic... Facebook does seem to draw them like moths to a flame.

[seabeyond]

27. me? i dont know. what i know is all of this is new, our kids brains developing and i KNOW all the

social networks are not neutral for our kids and probably us adult. being on du this many years, i have seen how it has effected me. and not totally for the good. being aware, recognizing, being an adult and still i know the effects on me.

i gotta believe that a child that is not developed mentally, may not have a lot fo time with positive influencing mature adults and time on these social networks are being effected tons more than i.

i dont allow the kids to do the myspace, facebook....

oldest sons at 17 is developing a little interest, but at this point he is still respecting what i want. (actually their father is more adamant than i. he is a computer tech dude.) but even at that, he doesnt have the interest in the social network per se, more when interested in a girl (and i mean girl) and wants to learn more about her. both kids though have seen the repercussions with friends and others in their schools that have gotten in trouble or hurt thru facebook and others, not to mention the obsessiveness.

my theory is, they can develop in a more normal/known manner and when they walk out the door, they will have the tools when they do play in these places, and a better chance not getting the negative effects.

this is the only social network i am on. my husband doesnt use them. so it is not something that is embraced in the family necessarily.

[seabeyond]

28. i know that my generation was raised differently than the past and my parents generation

Last edited Sat May 5, 2012, 11:36 PM - Edit history (1)

i have observed that with my generation, we seem to be more narcissistic. i have read that sociopaths have escalated. and then with the net that allows little quirks of putting self out, obsessing on self, allowed to create self as however, i can see that.

but that would lead one to ask, is it narcissism innate or nurtured. are some predisposed toward narcissism/sociopath and this feeds it and without these simulators a person wouldnt manifest the behavior or to the extent.

all i know is now the kids are teens i have naturally progressed to agressively emphasizing the empathy. it has always been a big one in our house. my boys have tended toward that. but an example.

we were having conversation about people just walking by someone that needs help. (we always have our dinner conversation to explore thoughts). and how at times we will don't help for whatever reason. how much i love when i see someone stop and help another. how in the past it seemed to be so normal and today we see it as a pat on the back. we had an instance with really bad snow. this womans suv was stuck. her young son 12, 13 ish was out trying to push. a long line of cars, sittin and waiting. no one was getting out to help. i turned the corner, see what is up, stop and send 16 yr old to help push. i was scared he was gonna get run over by the suv going backward so i park and got out. another woman gets out of her car and helps about the same age as i. old. two women and two kids. i am thinking where the fuck are the men. we finally get it out and i turn to the long line of cars and say..... where are the men.... as i see one man running up from the back of the line. yea.... to you dude, thanks. shame on the rest just watching. thanks for the help

point, with this conversation we discussed how, regardless of being busy, this was minutes helping another. it is the right thing to do.

(sorry story is long)

last night my now 17 yr old comes in and says the reason it took so long to get home, he saw an old man out of gas trying to push his car. he stopped to help.

i could have said good... and been done with son. but because of the natural progression to what i have seen in society, i spent the time discussing the value of making the effort to put that little time in helping another. dont ever just go by. always stop. it is good for all of us. he did right.

from parenting, and what i see today, i say that we need to make a concerted effort that might have tended as a norm in the past.

i get what you are saying in the mish mash. i think i will do a bit more research.

gotta go, will edit when i get back.... for clarity and mistakes.

[jonthebru]

18. Its all about me.

[BlueIris]

25. I first started reading about this in 2004. When I read the book, "The Sociopath Next Door,"

written by a psychologist who claims 1 in every 26 Americans is a full blown sociopath, I became convinced this was one of our worst social problems.

[glinda]

26. If you have known a narcissist then you know how emotionally and psychologically

devastating they can be.

[BlueIris]

30. I've met one.

He wasn't a human being in the sense that most people understand that term. Consequently, other people were just objects to him, tools to be used.

Sociopathy kills.

[eridani]

29. "For example, with parenting, in an attempt to raise kids with self-esteem--

many parents will tell their kid they're the best ever and they'll treat them like royalty, placing the child at the center of the household."

Odd. The first time I remember reading critcism of this type of parenting was in 1955 or so.