Christ_empowered
Member
- Oct 23, 2010
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Its a book by 20th century thinker Christopher Lasch. His premise--and this was the tail end of the 1970s--was that American culture had become narcissistic. Family, religion, sport, education, all had crumbled to the point where their primary purpose was to elevate self and relieve the boredom ("narcissistic ennui") and tension that goes with being...well, narcissistic.
Lately, some psychologists have revisited this idea, although they're not as intellectual and thoughtful as Lasch. Mostly, they focus (predictably) on child rearing practices, media influences, etc. Lasch put the whole thing in more cultural perspective, so there's a good mix of sociology, psychoanalysis, etc.
I haven't read the book in YEARS. I read it before I was diagnosed as narcissistic at age 19-20. My case is a little bit different, because Jesus seems to have healed me. I'm not saying I'm not prideful now and then or self-centered or...any of those things, just that I don't have the level of self-obsession and everything that I once did. Also, I have some kind of mental problem (voices, agitation, mood swings) that could possibly explain some or all of my original diagnosis.
Anyway, it really is a cultural issue, which is one reason why I'm upset that people point at narcissists and turn them into modern day scape goats. Truth is, NPD at the individual level is often the result of mistreatment, sometimes abuse, and, at a larger level, socioeconomic conditions and, I'd argue (as a Christian, of course) Satan's work in our world. In the last days, men shall be lovers of themselves....
What's dangerous is that a diagnosis that once fit only a select few now fits huge chunks of our society. Cold promiscuity. Vanity. Self-love. Pride. Need for constant admiration.
Part of what "fixed" me were "corrective life experiences," ie humbling experiences. My shrinks went too far and kind of turned my 20s into a psychiatric experiment, complete with HIPPAA violations, ECT, etc. Wow. The only reason this "worked" was because Jesus made good of it, and these experiences served to draw me "nigh unto Him," so it wasn't so terrible, after all. Had it not been for divine intervention, I'd be lost.
I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm afraid of what "humbling experiences" would mean on a society-wide scale. Some more conservative Christians say that the US is in for some discipline because of our lifestyle. We celebrate sodomy and other sexual sins (both promiscuity and sodomy are associated with narcissism), oppress the poor, elevate the rich and famous to incredible heights, and refuse to live what Lasch called "life with limits."
There's apparently nothing worse in modern day US culture than being "nothing special." People in my little town keep calling me "nothing special." I realize its supposed to be an insult, but I also realize that this says something about the source. What makes you "special" ? Why is being "special" important? Whatever happened to the American Dream of middle-class respectability and security, a dog in the backyard, and a solid family? Not "special" enough, I suppose...
Ugh. As per usual, I'm rambling. School's starting soon, and I've got all these random ideas floating around in my head...
I guess I'm just trying to say, speaking as someone who once fit the criteria for narcissism but now doesn't, thanks to Christ Jesus (although I still have mental illness...go figure, right?!?!) that its our whole *culture* that's narcissistic, not just some individuals unfortunate enough to be so diagnosed by mental health professionals (who also tell us that its OK to be gay and push a pill for every ill).
That's my rant of the day, lol. If you made it through and you feel like commenting or telling me what you think, feel free.
Lately, some psychologists have revisited this idea, although they're not as intellectual and thoughtful as Lasch. Mostly, they focus (predictably) on child rearing practices, media influences, etc. Lasch put the whole thing in more cultural perspective, so there's a good mix of sociology, psychoanalysis, etc.
I haven't read the book in YEARS. I read it before I was diagnosed as narcissistic at age 19-20. My case is a little bit different, because Jesus seems to have healed me. I'm not saying I'm not prideful now and then or self-centered or...any of those things, just that I don't have the level of self-obsession and everything that I once did. Also, I have some kind of mental problem (voices, agitation, mood swings) that could possibly explain some or all of my original diagnosis.
Anyway, it really is a cultural issue, which is one reason why I'm upset that people point at narcissists and turn them into modern day scape goats. Truth is, NPD at the individual level is often the result of mistreatment, sometimes abuse, and, at a larger level, socioeconomic conditions and, I'd argue (as a Christian, of course) Satan's work in our world. In the last days, men shall be lovers of themselves....
What's dangerous is that a diagnosis that once fit only a select few now fits huge chunks of our society. Cold promiscuity. Vanity. Self-love. Pride. Need for constant admiration.
Part of what "fixed" me were "corrective life experiences," ie humbling experiences. My shrinks went too far and kind of turned my 20s into a psychiatric experiment, complete with HIPPAA violations, ECT, etc. Wow. The only reason this "worked" was because Jesus made good of it, and these experiences served to draw me "nigh unto Him," so it wasn't so terrible, after all. Had it not been for divine intervention, I'd be lost.
I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm afraid of what "humbling experiences" would mean on a society-wide scale. Some more conservative Christians say that the US is in for some discipline because of our lifestyle. We celebrate sodomy and other sexual sins (both promiscuity and sodomy are associated with narcissism), oppress the poor, elevate the rich and famous to incredible heights, and refuse to live what Lasch called "life with limits."
There's apparently nothing worse in modern day US culture than being "nothing special." People in my little town keep calling me "nothing special." I realize its supposed to be an insult, but I also realize that this says something about the source. What makes you "special" ? Why is being "special" important? Whatever happened to the American Dream of middle-class respectability and security, a dog in the backyard, and a solid family? Not "special" enough, I suppose...
Ugh. As per usual, I'm rambling. School's starting soon, and I've got all these random ideas floating around in my head...
I guess I'm just trying to say, speaking as someone who once fit the criteria for narcissism but now doesn't, thanks to Christ Jesus (although I still have mental illness...go figure, right?!?!) that its our whole *culture* that's narcissistic, not just some individuals unfortunate enough to be so diagnosed by mental health professionals (who also tell us that its OK to be gay and push a pill for every ill).
That's my rant of the day, lol. If you made it through and you feel like commenting or telling me what you think, feel free.
