Raskin and Terry (1988) defined narcissism as a personality trait marked by a heightened belief in oneself, an absence of compassion, and a continuous need for praise from others. People who exhibit narcissistic characteristics may overestimate their skills and accomplishments and think they deserve special consideration or benefits (Casale, 2021). The Raskin and Terry (1988) study offered more support for the content validity of the NPI, a commonly used narcissism gauge. With the growth of social media and its effects on young people, narcissism has gained more and more importance in modern society.
The NPR podcast “The Rise Of Narcissism In The Age Of The Selfie” (2016) referenced research that supports the claim that over the past few decades, narcissistic characteristics have become more prevalent among college students. According to one research, the number of students who received high NPI scores rose from 15% in the 1980s to 25% in the 2000s (Nesterak et al., 2016). The podcast also covered how social media can encourage self-absorption and self-promotion, which may increase young people’s narcissism.
However, there are counterarguments to the claim that vanity is on the rise among young people in America. In a 2013 piece for The New York Times, Quenqua made the case that the rise of narcissism might be exaggerated and that people might be hasty to label others as such without fully comprehending the term. Through the article, it is clear that parenting practices might be at play in the perceived rise in narcissism, not just social media.
Narcissism is an unhealthy personality characteristic that can harm a person’s social interactions and general well-being. A positive self-concept depends on healthy self-esteem, but narcissism is characterized by an exaggerated perception of self that can cause an absence of compassion and a disregard for other people’s emotions (Aronson et al., 2016). In order to foster sensitivity and a healthy sense of self, it is crucial to draw a line between healthy self-esteem and narcissism.
In conclusion, studies on narcissism support both claims about whether the narcissistic tendencies of American youth are growing. While some research indicates that narcissistic characteristics have increased, others warn against broad generalizations and incorrectly labeling people as narcissistic without fully comprehending what it means. It is critical to keep researching narcissism and its impacts on people and society while encouraging empathy and a healthy sense of self.
References
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Sommers, S. R. (2016). Chapter 5: The self: understanding ourselves in a social context. In Social Psychology (9th ed., pp. 119–150). Pearson.
Casale, S. (2021). Psychological distress profiles of young adults with vulnerable narcissism traits. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 210(6), 426–431. Web.
Nesterak, M., Benderev, C., Vedantam, S., Schmidt, J., & Penman, M. (2016). Me, me, me: The rise of narcissism in the age of the Selfie. NPR. Web.
Quenqua, D. (2013). Seeing Narcissists Everywhere. New York Times. Web.
Raskin, R., & Terry, H. (1988). A principal-components analysis of the narcissistic personality inventory and further evidence of its construct validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(5), 890–902. Web.