Narcissism Epidemic

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            Have you ever met a narcist or have you experienced narcissism towards you in your life? Did you know that narcissism is now a social epidemic? How can we change that? First, narcissism is “a personality disorder derived from a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance” (mayoclinic2023). What lead to the rise of narcissism in our social environment today? “The rise in narcissism is accelerating with scores rising faster in the 2000s than in previous decades” (Twenge2009). Twenge states in his book that “the rise of narcissism is growing fast and is growing faster than the rise in obesity, and this should be a concern for everyone.” This disease is destructing our society. After the COVID pandemic the narcissism epidemic has rose to an all time high. Digital technology and social media have played big roles in this increase. Social media is one of the main reasons for an increase in the narcissism epidemic. We need to take a stand in removing or limiting our children and teenagers from being under that large social media presence to decrease the number of narcissistic behaviors. This disorder also has great genetic influence. This disorder is not directly evolved from genetics, but it is passed down through the generations, children seeing their parents’ narcissistic qualities and following in those footsteps. Through the development of children and the way parents are raising their children today. We need to put a stop to this being passed down through the generations. Different ways to end this epidemic can be through different therapies like dialectical behavior therapy, schema-focused therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. Parenting classes for new upcoming parents would be a great start, to teach parents the importance of teaching their children emotional intelligence and how to identify and express their feelings in the correct manner. 

            The COVID pandemic had a great influence on the narcissism epidemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone around the world. This state of emergency caused much damage to mental and social functioning (Babore et al., 2020; Sood, 2020). This pandemic forced people to quarantine and be stuck in their homes with no social interaction for months causing many different types of mental illnesses. One of the main traits that came out of the pandemic was narcissism.  “It is a trait commonly associated with grandiosity, entitlement, and manipulativeness, but also with assertiveness and seeking attention” (Miller et al., 2017). During the pandemic people went from their normal day to day lives to this whole new world where they were forced to be alone. The loneliness for narcists is brought to a much bigger proportion than for the normal person. This pandemic also brought out the disorder of narcissism in people that didn’t before having this disorder. One way to stop this from escalating is for more people to seek out counseling or therapy sessions, to find out what the narcissism stems from and to stop it. Dialectical behavioral therapy is one way a narcissist can seek out treatment for this disease. This therapy focuses on helping people accept the reality of their lives and to change their behaviors. This therapy can help to change people’s coping mechanisms, and help them find new mechanisms instead of those narcissist behaviors. 

            The COVID pandemic also increased the use of social media. Social media and digital technology play a big role in the narcissism epidemic. “This new social media presence has caused many people to experience FOMO (fear of missing out)” (Jabeen 2023). This social media presence and new fear of missing out is thought to present an ideal environment for traits like narcissism to emerge and influence user behavior. (Jabeen 2023) Through the new apps on our phones like Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, and much more is all the children of this generation are using today. This is causing more and more people to grow up being narcissists. The idea of social media has portrayed this new idea of “self-love” and self-love to an extent is not detrimental but to some this self-love has become overbearing. This trait is now brought out in relationships, families, and even at people’s professions. To put a stop to this increase we need to limit the social media intake of our minors and take away these horrible apps putting horrible ideas into our children’s minds. 

            In narcissism there is always the prevalent issue of genetics. Not exactly gene related but passed down to you from the culture you grew up in. It is prevalent that these people start from the root of the issue and go back to their childhood to understand their disease and to fix this issue. It is a fact that some traits that you grew up around are going to be traits that you portray in your lifetime. Children today are more materialistic and care more about what people think than other generations did. Which stems into narcissistic behaviors. To stop this would be the parents’ decision. In early childhood development it is the parents’ responsibility to stop the issue before it even begins. Emotional intelligence needs to be taught to everyone from a young age. Emotional intelligence is said to be the ability to manage your emotions and to realize the emotions of the people around you. By parents instilling this in their children from a young age this could put a stop to narcissism. Yes, every generation has narcissists, but today is rising like never before. The endorsement rate for the statement “I am an important person” has increased from 12% in 1963 to 77–80% in 1992 in adolescents. (vater 2018). Recently published books featured more self-centered language compared with earlier publications. (vater 2018) For instance, the personal pronouns I and me are used more frequently than we and us . (vater 2018) This is an incredible increase.

            

            Knowing this what can you do to stop the rise in narcissism? Having narcissism in today’s world is detrimental to all. If you have world leaders in power or police officers or even nurses portraying those narcissistic traits, then everyone is doomed. No one would be safe, due to the fact of those people in power think they are the “greatest” and they are the most “powerful” people. Not having any care in the world for other humans just themselves. This is an epidemic that everyone needs to be aware of and put a stop to it. 

            

 

 

Works Cited

 

A Babore et al. Psychiatry Research (2020) 

Mayoclinic.org April 6th, 2023 Narcissistic personality disorder 

Fauzia Jabeen, Social media-induced fear of missing out (FoMO) and social media fatigue: The role of narcissism, comparison and disclosure, Journal of Business Research, Volume 159, (2023)

Twenge. Jean M. and William Keith Campbell. The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement. (2013) 

Aline Vater. (2018) Does a narcissism epidemic exist in modern western societies? Comparing narcissism and self-esteem in East and West Germany