Was a Project Damaged by This Phenomenom ?
Question by Jojo207: Was a project damaged by this phenomenom ?
Deborah Hill Cone: Self-love stuck in an endless honeymoon
4:00AM Sunday Oct 11, 2009
You heard it here first: narcissism is the new black. I predict narcissism is going to be
our next obsession.
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) was invented in 1980 when shrinks included it in
their Bible, the DSM-III, and it is poorly understood, diagnosed, reported or studied.
But once you learn a bit about it you start seeing it everywhere – especially in the
business community. Although I must confess the same thing happened to me with autism – I
started to think half the people I knew were on the spectrum.
Still do, although maybe I just know a lot of anoraks. Yes I know, I read too many self-help
books – and that’s how I got interested in narcissism. (Is there a self-help book about
curing one’s self-help book addiction?)
The roll call of narcissists is pretty long. Practically all politicians and lots of CEOs.
Pretty much anyone who owns a Bentley. They are not all psychopaths like Clayton
Weatherston, but they are wonky nonetheless.
Most narcissists don’t recognise that they are narcissists. One of the few who does is
Sam Vaknin, a PhD and financial consultant from Israel, but it took some pretty extreme
conditions for him to be forced to face his personality. (And since there is no cure, that
was pretty depressing.)
Vaknin wrote a book about narcissism in jail as he tried to understand why his nine-year
marriage had dissolved, his finances were in a shocking condition, his family estranged, his
reputation ruined. He blamed everyone else, but slowly realised it was his fault.
So what is narcissism? Contrary to the myth of the Greek boy who fell in love with his own
reflection, the narcissist does not love himself in any true sense of the word.
Narcissism is a pattern of traits and behaviours which signify infatuation and obsession
with one’s self to the exclusion of all others and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of
one’s gratification, dominance and ambition. Most narcissists are men.
They feed off other people, getting what Vaknin calls “narcissistic supply” – this
could involve sex, attention or glory – and it is like a drug. The DSM says narcissism is
“a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy”.
The narcissist is described as turning inward for gratification rather than depending on
others and as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, and
prestige.
There is no cure for it. Therapy doesn’t really help.
Psychologists say factors behind narcissism are an oversensitive temperament, overindulgence
by parents, unreliable parenting and childhood abuse.
“Narcissists feed off other people who hurl back at him an image that he projects to
them. This is their sole function in his world: to reflect, to admire, to applaud, to detest
– in a word to assure him he exists.”
But I’m not just saying this to give you a lesson in cod psychology. I can’t help
wondering if the disorder of narcissism has almost become normalised in our individualistic,
status-obsessed society – and don’t get me started on overindulged kids.
There is something wrong when the diagnosis of narcissism almost sounds like something most
BCom students aspire to. Here’s a wacky idea: let’s put away the mirrors and start
looking at other people instead of ourselves.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10602200
Best answer:
Answer by Rupert
I disagree that psychologists “invented” Narcissism as you say. But it is no wonder it began to be noticed and boomed in the late 70s early 80s. I don’t think you would be a proper yuppie without it.
I would say our society breeds Narcissism, its the American way. We grow up hearing about the “American Dream” and how much we deserve to own several homes and sports cars, and there is nothing wrong with stomping on others to get them, no, that is just competition in a free market.
Who knows, if Narcissism keeps spreading maybe they will take it out of the DSM because it will no longer be “Abnormal”. After all they did put Homosexuality into it because conservatives were sure it was a disorder, then in took it out in the ’70 edition because public opinion shifted.
What do you think? Answer below!