Narcisism in the new generation

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But, why narcisism may be on the rise, could be because we are all much more exposed to person-model-building than people did in the past. Wow. OK, let me try to make sense of that.

We see little models of people of TV, we create little models of people in games, and we see vastly more people than people did in the past. We are a lot better at building mental models of people (including ourselves). This makes false models that much more seductive. But it also makes creating a better model easier.

Balance young grasshopper.

 

Man, what a topic.

Alright. I'm 25. I was a little kid throughout the '80's and a teenager in the 90's. I was raised by a father brought up in a large family of 6, second youngest. He was placed in remedial classes from 1st grade to 10th grade until someone finally identified him as having a mental difficulty reading. Suddenly (what crap) he was properly IDed as being a gifted student. One year later, he graduated high school at 16 and he ran away from home.

I was an average student. High grades, but low activity. I was a very shy kid. I only had a friend circle of 1 or 2 buddies at a time. I was quiet. Spent a lot of time playing and daydreaming by myself. It wasn't until my freshmen year of college that I came out of my shell. I didn't like school. I thought that school was a place full of dumb kids who slid by. I was working from my place and I knew when I wasn't even close to being the best or the brightest in my class.

In college, I finally starting to receive praise and attention for my work and ideas. After being raised by a father who was not given praise, and who in return did not praise me, for doing things THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO; one would think that I would eat the attention up.

Rather, I shied away from it. I still do. I want others to be the center of attention. I like being noticed. I like it when people listen to one of my stories. But the second I feel like I've crossed a line or taken over too much of a conversation, I clam up. And feel stupidly guilty for doing so. I've gotten drunk and had a lot of fun, then I've gotten as pouty as a 4 year old with my girlfriend because I start to get mad at myself for, what I see as, being stupid.

I know I have some self-concept problems. I know that I have low self-esteem. But that second test I took said I was HIGHLY narcissistic!

What the hell!?!?!?!

Those questions to me were designed to go to one extreme or the other. That way, you're either god-like in thought or pond-scum in thought. There is no possible way that test was fair or balanced.

Yes, I do thing that people younger than me are stupid and do stupid things.

But you know what?

I did stupid things too.

I believe that they will either grow out of it or they will have it beaten out of them someday.

Sorry for the rant. Hope it made some sense!

 

Not really. It can be empirical but it can also originate on the purely rational inside-the-brain level as in inference from certain facts or ideas. Maths is not exactly empirical and that's how you calculate stuff like the average, the mean, whatever.

People are special in the way that they are unique. I doubt you can find a very plain person with a boring personality and a boring history plus no specific talents. You don't need a definite mathematical average as much as a mere assessment - that is, if you're actually coming from empirical premises rather than intuitive. Besides, applying 0/1 logic to value judgements is quite, you know, pointless.

Of course, don't get my statement in the hippie way of oh my, we're all so great, centres of the world and we all deserve to be in spotlight! Plus a whole lot of optimistic stuff that doesn't hold. Everyone is special, but that doesn't mean special rules for everybody, or special treatment, nor does it make a primary school student with adjustment problems Einstein's or Chopin's equal.

What is important is to avoid having children think they are special in some way putting them above their peers or making them more worthy. "You are/I am special," is no excuse for poor behaviour or choosing to be a jerk.

On a curious note, narcisism doesn't seem to make anyone happier or help respect or anything like that. It's just a pain to unlearn.

 

I'd argue that people who can afford to pay nearly $50,000 (more than a years pay for most people) are very rare and, therefore, not even remotely indicative of our population as a whole.

 

Back when I was a youngen I was told a Quaker Joke. At least I think it was a joke. Due to the change in the meanings of words I will have to change it a little.

Spoken by one Quaker to a friend, "Every one is a bit strange except thee and me and even thee is a little strange."

I remember telling a friend that I am the only normal person I know, everyone else is a bit odd.


Yeah, IMO normal is to a certain extent arbitrary and made up by the particular culture or society.

 

I don't look in the mirror 'cuz I'm a Narcissist.

I simply like to watch myself exist (Oh!)

 

I do have the feeling sometimes...

 

I say that all the time, but you should see our class, no discipline, sixteen year olds acting like like six year olds (yes they did draw a penis in the wall), playing poker, listening to the latest pop songs, no common sense etc.
Don't say that's not odd.

 

Sounds exactly like my common room in the last year of High School, when we were all 17 and supposedly quite mature...