This article will first define narcissism and then analyze its sociological causes.
Narcissism is a personality pattern characterized by an individual’s belief in their own superiority over others, excessive self-admiration, a constant need for approval and admiration, and a lack of empathy for the feelings and needs of others. Not every narcissistic trait is a personality disorder. Narcissistic tendencies can be present in daily life; however, if this is persistent and impairs functioning, then it can be classified as a narcissistic personality disorder. Frequency, persistence, and functionality are all factors considered to determine whether a condition is classified as a disorder.
Narcissism has both individual causes and sociological causes. The most important of these sociological causes are family structure, the cultural structure of society, modernization, and the media.
Family Structure And The Formation Of Narcissistic Traits
Family structure is the most important factor in shaping individuals’ personalities. Many family structures exist, but those that contribute to narcissism include both overly idealizing and devaluing-critical family structures.
In family structures where children are overly idealized, their every wish is granted and no boundaries are set. Children growing up in such environments cannot develop empathy and a realistic self-image. For a child to develop psychological resilience, they need to learn to overcome difficulties, but children raised in these family structures do not encounter difficulties, and their parents often eliminate challenges for the child. Because the child is seen as perfect by their family, when they face failure or when others point out their mistakes as adults, they cannot accept it and experience disappointment. To compensate, they try to portray themselves as superior and attempt to belittle others.
In the other family structure—the devaluing-critical family structure—the child is not seen, does not receive enough love and attention, and the family is generally always critical. This situation damages the child’s self-image and leads them to develop feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy. As adults, they may exhibit narcissistic traits to compensate for these underlying feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy.
Family structures that see the child as perfect and do not set boundaries, as well as family structures that constantly criticize and are indifferent to the child, inflict deep wounds on the child’s self-esteem. One way a child compensates for this is by seeing themselves as superior, ignoring and belittling others. When these traits occur frequently and begin to harm the individual and others, it becomes a disorder.
Cultural Structure And Authoritarian Patterns
Another important factor contributing to narcissism is the cultural structure of society. Looking at the cultural structure of our society, we can say that a culture of fear and obedience prevails, and it tends to raise perfectionist children. Children raised within such a cultural structure generally have low self-respect and self-confidence.
In authoritarian cultural structures, children often cannot develop a unique sense of self; they define themselves through the words and glances of others. Therefore, they constantly try to portray themselves as superior, constantly praising themselves, believing that this is the only way they can exist. They attempt to gain self-respect by belittling and ignoring others.
In cultural structures where children are raised within a culture of love, with healthy boundaries, and where they are allowed to be “individuals,” the child’s sense of self-integrity develops healthily. These individuals do not experience a sense of emptiness because they have been raised to be seen and valued. Children with a healthy sense of self-integrity do not try to define themselves by belittling or marginalizing others when they become adults, because they received the necessary love and attention as children and were raised as “individuals” within the necessary boundaries. The bullying that is very common in our society is actually a reflection of authoritarian cultural structures.
Modernization, Media, And The Society Of Performance
Another important factor that leads to and spreads narcissistic traits is modernization and the media. The modern era is characterized by visibility, speed, and the pursuit of perfection. In other words, individuals in the modern era constantly showcase themselves through the media and are forced to be fast and perfect in their professional lives.
People in the modern era are in a state of competition. For example, individuals constantly present their best selves in the media: the best clothes, the best job, the best family. In this way, individuals constantly compete with others on social media. Likes and views are like a reward.
Philosopher Byung-Chul Han gave this period names such as “The Society of Fatigue,” “The Society of Transparency,” and “The Society of Performance.” Byung-Chul Han’s psychopolitics perfectly summarizes this period. According to him, individuals are now controlled not through their bodies, but through their minds: “I must be the best.” “If I don’t want to work, it’s my fault.” The problem is reduced to the individual, and the system’s problems are overlooked, thus allowing the system’s fundamental goals of speed, perfection, and visibility to continue.
These characteristics of the modern era put the individual in competition with others, and the desire to be the best leads to narcissistic traits. As Guy Debord put it, in the “society of the spectacle,” profound meaning has been replaced by appearance; the individual has become a subject of performance, and appearance has gained importance over meaning. Success, power, and visibility have become the foundation of society. The media has become both the mediator and the face of modern society. In a modern society with these characteristics, commodities, status, and power gain importance, and individuals virtually compete for them. This situation leads to an increase in individuals exhibiting narcissistic traits in society.
Conclusion
In conclusion, narcissism does not arise solely from individual causes; sociological factors often lie behind individual problems. Family structures, cultural structures, modernization, and the media are significant sociological factors contributing to the spread of narcissism in society.
Individuals exposed to narcissistic people are essentially subjected to psychological violence. Psychological violence, just like physical violence, inflicts deep wounds on an individual’s soul and damages their self-esteem. Therefore, after analyzing the causes of narcissism spreading in our society, research should be conducted on solutions.
One of the most fundamental and apparent solutions is love. This love should be a love that creates and produces. According to Erich Fromm, love should be accompanied by productivity, interest, respect, and knowledge.
Source
Han, Byung-Chul. The Transparency Society – An analysis of the culture of transparency and its individual and societal impacts.
Orçan, M. (2008). “The Transformation of the Individual in the Society of Spectacle,” Eskiyeni.
Aktay, A. (2017). Erich Fromm in the context of social capital and the healthy society. Journal of Academic Reviews, 12(1), 155–172.