8. A Culture of Narcissism Flashcards
What were the historical conceptualizations of narcissism?
Havelock Ellis: auto-eroticism (love directed towards one’s self)
Ernst Jones: God complex
Freud: we are born with narcissism
- (as toddlers) primary narcissism and self-absorption was a natural developmental phase (this disappears as we grow)
- secondary narcissism and self-love absorption (ego libido and object libido)
Define narcissism
Grandiose self view: inflated self-importance
- excessive need for admiration
- lack of empathy and intimacy
- sense of entitlement
- using others for self-validation
Is associated with greater self-esteem, life satisfaction, but also violence and aggression
What are the different types of narcissism?
Overt vs covert narcissists - both self-absorbed and arrogant
Overt: grandiosity / exhibitionism
- higher reported happiness, self-esteem
Covert: hypersensitivity / vulnerability
- lower happiness and self-esteem
What are some findings on subclinical narcissism:
- measured by the narcissistic personality inventory
- Men have more trait narcissism than women
- self-perceived superiority on ‘super hero’ traits like intelligence, emotional stability, but not morality, agreeableness, conscientiousness
- narcissists self-enhance agentic characteristics (intelligence, power) but not communal ones (agreeableness, honesty)
What is subclinical narcissism associated with? (+)
- higher self-esteem and confidence
- higher psychological health, wellbeing, life satisfaction
- lower depression, anxiety, loneliness
- judged as more charming
What is narcissism (sub-clinical) associated with? (-)
related to provoked aggression (Rasmussen 2016 meta-analysis)
–> when someone with narcissism felt rejected, the more aggression they exhibited
- all forms of narcissism associated with all forms of aggression (strongest under provocation) (Kjaervik and Bushman)
The outward manifestation of narcissism covers up a hidden fragility
What are some theories underpinning subclinical narcissism
- Grandiose but vulnerable self-concept and low insight
-> high explicit self-esteem but hidden sense of worthlessness
-> ego threat activates concepts of worthlessness
Narcissism & dissociation: dissociation between an unconscious sense of inadequacy and a conscious feeling of superiority (low implicit self-esteem, high explicit self-esteem)
Is there a rise in narcissism?
Christopher Lasch:
- social invasion of the self (people are losing community values and are getting more absorbed in themselves)
- related this to permissive parenting (parents allowing children to get away with more)
- also associated with individualism
Do we have a rise in narcissism? Twenge et al’s cross temporal meta-analysis
30% increase in NPI scores between uni students in 1979 compared to 2006
We also have the difference of teenagers endorsing the item ‘i am an important person’ –> 1950s 12% agreed, late 80s 80% agreed
Teenagers are also more confident, assertive, entitled and more miserable
What are some possible causes of a cultural shift in narcissism?
- parenting culture and emphasis on ‘self-esteem’ over accomplishments
- social media and self-promotion (social comparison on social media)
How does narcissism track around the world?
Foster, Campbell, Twenge (2003)
Narcissism scores:
US > Europe > Canada > Asia > Middle East
- higher individualism associated with higher narcissism
the effect size is trivial however
What did the narcissism assessment in China find?
Narcissism is greater in
- younger > older
- Higher SES > lower SES
- persons from only child families
- urban areas
- individualistic values predicted narcissism
Also found a decrease in narcissism
Outline narcissistic personality disorder
Clinical narcissism
- pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy that begins by early adulthood (present in a variety of contexts)
Maladaptive: involves impairment or distress
- 50-75% male
Prevalence = 6%
What are the diagnostic criteria of narcissistic personality disorder
pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood in a variety of contexts - indicated by 5+
- grandiose sense of self-importance
- preoccupied with fantasies of power
- believes they are special / unique, can only be understood by special people
- excessive admiration
- sense of entitlement
- exploitative
- lacks empathy
- envious of others
- arrogant
What are the 2 pathological narcissism dimensions
grandiosity: overvalued, entitled self-image, exploitative exhibitionist behaviours; absorption in idealized fantasies; and other maladaptive self-enhancement, etc
vulnerability: characterised by a depleted, enfeebled self-image’ angry, shameful and depressed affects; self-criticalisty and suicidality; interpersonal hypersensitivity and social withdrawal
