The incubator for narcissism
April 28, 2011
WND
Phil Elmore
© 2011
In the last few Technocracy columns, I have dealt with topics that have in common the theme of your mental and emotional fortitude. How do you approach your use of the network of networks we now take for granted as integral to our communications, data transfer and entertainment infrastructures? What does your use of the Internet tell us about you? How does your reaction to the experience of interacting with others online inform your personal choices, emphasize your personal strengths and betray your personal shortcomings?
Our contemporary society and its medical and psychological establishments have concluded that there is an ailment, a condition, a disorder – and a spectrum on which that disorder is found – for every single negative human behavior and character trait. Whether it is increasingly common or simply increasingly revealed online, there is a "personality disorder" whose descriptors seem stunningly appropriate for much behavior that takes place on the Web. That is Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or NPD. The site Narcissism101 explains the disorder thusly:
Someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) has at least 5 of these symptoms:
has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements); is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love; believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions); requires excessive admiration; has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations; is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends; lacks empathy(is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others); is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.
Doesn't paint a pretty picture, does it? Yet I guarantee it perfectly describes many people with whom you've interacted online ... especially if your interaction with them takes place exclusively on the Internet. The platform of the Internet and sites that share personal activity on the Web is tailor-made to facilitate NPD.
The Net gives each self-involved individual the opportunity to define, redefine, reinvent, or otherwise package himself to whatever degree he desires. He can claim to be whatever and whomever he aspires to be; he can manipulate the presentation of what he shares to bolster those claims; he can engage in a variety of behaviors (such as trolling or accusing others of trolling) to defend his fantasies and delusions, or to draw attention and criticism from himself.
This is the grand stage of the Internet, the public forum that is all Internet activity. There is very little Internet activity that is genuinely unedited and unscreened. The result is an epidemic of NPD inflicted on every member of every social media site, bulletin board, discussion forum and mailing list.
Awareness of raging, roiling, runaway NPD online is nothing new. Entire books have been written about it; media outlets have produced articles evaluating or promoting those books; articles analyzing articles about those other sources have explored and explored again the issue. There seems, in fact, to be a great deal of discussion about the people we see so busily discussing themselves.
Eliot Glazer wrote of online narcissism two years ago, saying, "The Internet Will See You Now." He wrote, "We Tweet. ... We blog. We update our status. We post pictures in real time. We share intimate details and vague musings as they happen, sending out attention-hungry pleas into the ether and hoping to receive some sort of validation in return."
Glazer rightly wanted to know where this self-absorbed transmission of every detail of our daily existences would or could end. And, really, how can it end, when the social media sites that hold ever more sway in our technologically saturated lives encourage us to share every second of what we do? Twitter was built on the notion that people you may not even know personally are interested in when you go to sleep, what you had for lunch, or whether you've just "checked in" at your local gym. How could this be anything but the most addictive of narcotics for those whose drug of choice is themselves?
As no stranger to engaging in frequently pointless, often vehement and occasionally bitter arguments online, especially years ago when I was younger and less disciplined, I have seen NPD exhibited countless times. When I consider some of the people with whom I have virtually jousted – a self-destructive and wasteful activity I have since been successfully discouraged from indulging – I can see Narcissistic Personality Disorder radiating from every pixel of what these individuals wrote, filmed and uploaded. Can't you?
Consider unpleasant discussions you've had online. Haven't you encountered those who were convinced of their own brilliance, their own skill, their own accomplishment, so thoroughly that they were completely oblivious to the fools they were making of themselves? Haven't you encountered men and women who were convinced a conspiracy was afoot to somehow cyberbully, abuse or otherwise misuse them, and thus vaguely evil external forces were always at fault for any ill these insecure victims experienced? Haven't you been moved to pity when considering those so desperate to be seen as more than they are that you have forgotten, at times, that such people can be very dangerous?
If you read this and scoff, if you see projection or hypocrisy in these words, I urge you to look left and look right. Examine those around you. If it is the rest of the world that is wrong, if you stand above and beyond the mere mortals whose presence you are forced to tolerate, if you smugly judge every human being whose Facebook, Twitter or discussion site account you view ... perhaps it isn't those around you afflicted with pervasive NPD.
Maybe ... just maybe ... the narcissist is you.
WND
Phil Elmore
© 2011
In the last few Technocracy columns, I have dealt with topics that have in common the theme of your mental and emotional fortitude. How do you approach your use of the network of networks we now take for granted as integral to our communications, data transfer and entertainment infrastructures? What does your use of the Internet tell us about you? How does your reaction to the experience of interacting with others online inform your personal choices, emphasize your personal strengths and betray your personal shortcomings?
Our contemporary society and its medical and psychological establishments have concluded that there is an ailment, a condition, a disorder – and a spectrum on which that disorder is found – for every single negative human behavior and character trait. Whether it is increasingly common or simply increasingly revealed online, there is a "personality disorder" whose descriptors seem stunningly appropriate for much behavior that takes place on the Web. That is Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or NPD. The site Narcissism101 explains the disorder thusly:
Someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) has at least 5 of these symptoms:
has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements); is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love; believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions); requires excessive admiration; has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations; is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends; lacks empathy(is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others); is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.
Doesn't paint a pretty picture, does it? Yet I guarantee it perfectly describes many people with whom you've interacted online ... especially if your interaction with them takes place exclusively on the Internet. The platform of the Internet and sites that share personal activity on the Web is tailor-made to facilitate NPD.
The Net gives each self-involved individual the opportunity to define, redefine, reinvent, or otherwise package himself to whatever degree he desires. He can claim to be whatever and whomever he aspires to be; he can manipulate the presentation of what he shares to bolster those claims; he can engage in a variety of behaviors (such as trolling or accusing others of trolling) to defend his fantasies and delusions, or to draw attention and criticism from himself.
This is the grand stage of the Internet, the public forum that is all Internet activity. There is very little Internet activity that is genuinely unedited and unscreened. The result is an epidemic of NPD inflicted on every member of every social media site, bulletin board, discussion forum and mailing list.
Awareness of raging, roiling, runaway NPD online is nothing new. Entire books have been written about it; media outlets have produced articles evaluating or promoting those books; articles analyzing articles about those other sources have explored and explored again the issue. There seems, in fact, to be a great deal of discussion about the people we see so busily discussing themselves.
Eliot Glazer wrote of online narcissism two years ago, saying, "The Internet Will See You Now." He wrote, "We Tweet. ... We blog. We update our status. We post pictures in real time. We share intimate details and vague musings as they happen, sending out attention-hungry pleas into the ether and hoping to receive some sort of validation in return."
Glazer rightly wanted to know where this self-absorbed transmission of every detail of our daily existences would or could end. And, really, how can it end, when the social media sites that hold ever more sway in our technologically saturated lives encourage us to share every second of what we do? Twitter was built on the notion that people you may not even know personally are interested in when you go to sleep, what you had for lunch, or whether you've just "checked in" at your local gym. How could this be anything but the most addictive of narcotics for those whose drug of choice is themselves?
As no stranger to engaging in frequently pointless, often vehement and occasionally bitter arguments online, especially years ago when I was younger and less disciplined, I have seen NPD exhibited countless times. When I consider some of the people with whom I have virtually jousted – a self-destructive and wasteful activity I have since been successfully discouraged from indulging – I can see Narcissistic Personality Disorder radiating from every pixel of what these individuals wrote, filmed and uploaded. Can't you?
Consider unpleasant discussions you've had online. Haven't you encountered those who were convinced of their own brilliance, their own skill, their own accomplishment, so thoroughly that they were completely oblivious to the fools they were making of themselves? Haven't you encountered men and women who were convinced a conspiracy was afoot to somehow cyberbully, abuse or otherwise misuse them, and thus vaguely evil external forces were always at fault for any ill these insecure victims experienced? Haven't you been moved to pity when considering those so desperate to be seen as more than they are that you have forgotten, at times, that such people can be very dangerous?
If you read this and scoff, if you see projection or hypocrisy in these words, I urge you to look left and look right. Examine those around you. If it is the rest of the world that is wrong, if you stand above and beyond the mere mortals whose presence you are forced to tolerate, if you smugly judge every human being whose Facebook, Twitter or discussion site account you view ... perhaps it isn't those around you afflicted with pervasive NPD.
Maybe ... just maybe ... the narcissist is you.
Views: 97
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Comment by James Robertson on April 28, 2011 at 9:04am -
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Comment by James Robertson on April 28, 2011 at 11:08am
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Narcissism in Social Media - By Candace Rivera
April 21, 2011 - Daily Titan
College students are all familiar with social networking websites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. These websites allow the account holder to put their best face forward, only showing images in the best of light, pleasing to their eye and that of someone else.
In an article in The New York Times, a study performed by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press characterized Americans ages 18 to 25 as the “look at me” generation, their top goals being fame and fortune.
So with the self-centered persona, it can be possible for narcissism to be heightened.
According to an article in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, narcissists have tendencies that convey exaggerated, positive perceptions of one’s self, such as physical attractiveness, intelligence and power.
More importantly, narcissists do not value long-term relationships or close connections with people; rather they are talented at making an agreeable first impression and using people to appear popular and successful. They also are eager to talk about themselves and be boastful.
Social networking websites are the perfect domain for individuals that do not value deep, intimate relationships. On Facebook in particular, some users have more than 1,000 friends. Of course, having 1,000 friends does not mean they genuinely know all of their online friends. However, your friend number does represent popularity.
Justin Heng, who is obtaining his MBA in finance, stated, “I don’t think there’s a lot of relationship yet (between narcissism and Facebook) … but people who have confidence may want to use Facebook because they are more public.”
In an article in Scientific American Magazine, psychology researcher Soraya Mehdizadeh conducted a study on 100 college students. Mehdizadeh had access to all 100 students’ Facebook accounts, in which status updates were monitored, photo-sharing, wall posts, even how many times students logged in, as well as the duration.
After Mehdizadeh measured each individual with the Narcissism Personality Inventory and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, she found subjects who were narcissistic spent more than an hour a day on Facebook, posting more photos and status updates that were self-promotional.
Mehdizadeh believes that since narcissists have trouble sustaining long-term relationships, they are drawn to an online community with virtual friends and superficial communication.
Blanca Ruiz, a senior majoring in Spanish and TESOL, does not think there is a relationship. She did admit that one of her four children is affected.
“She is a single mother and uses Facebook for a social connection with people. It is her replacement for her social life,” said Ruiz.
According to an article in Psychiatric News, more than one-third of Internet use is spent on social networking sites; that is 13.9 billion minutes on Facebook and 300 million minutes on Twitter.
The number of “tweets” sent on Twitter and videos uploaded on YouTube increases every day. Instant fame is measured by “hits,” “views” and “followers,” confirming even more that this generation is desperate for recognition and attention.
This technology may be fostering a sense of isolation, alienation and further promoting tendencies toward narcissism. Rather than learning critical lessons pertaining to reciprocity in relationships and displaying emotional sensitivity to others, “generation me” is creating alternative realities where they themselves are in the spotlight.
“There are a lot of narcissistic traits right now. These websites promote me, myself and I. It encourages the trait in them,” said Leslie Chegwidden, Ph.D., a family and marriage therapist.
Next time you log on to Facebook, YouTube or Twitter, take a long look at your own account. What would a psychologist say about your profile?
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Comment by James Robertson on April 28, 2011 at 2:12pm
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Comment by Dave Gosse on April 28, 2011 at 7:53pm -
Hi James
I would comment on this but I am too busy remaking the world in my own image. 8^>
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Comment by James Robertson on April 29, 2011 at 5:21am
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Dave, I see that you, like me, are in a complex situation.
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Comment by Dr. George C. Adams on April 29, 2011 at 3:31pm -
Re: The 18-25 narcissistic age group. They also suffer from the arrogance of youth and are not loath to let us older folks know. Only after life has administered some hard knocks, and hopefully brought many to their senses, will they realize that they really don't have all the answers.
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Comment by Dave Gosse on April 29, 2011 at 6:34pm
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I was always amazed to see my parents get smarter as I went from 15 yrs old to 25.
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Comment by James Robertson on April 30, 2011 at 5:27am
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♪me,me,me,me,me♪ - Practice for "American Idol".
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Comment by James Robertson on April 30, 2011 at 2:43pm
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He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow.
- George Eliot
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Comment by James Robertson on May 2, 2011 at 3:14pm
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