The Americanization of Narcissism - Elizabeth Lunbeck

American social critics in the 1970s, convinced that their nation was in decline, turned to psychoanalysis for answers and seized on narcissism as the sickness of the age. Books indicting Americans as greedy, shallow, and self-indulgent appeared, but as Elizabeth Lunbeck reveals, the American critics missed altogether the breakthrough in psychoanalytic thinking that was championing narcissism's positive aspects.
Unpacking narcissism's rich and complex history opens a new view on the central questions faced by the self struggling amid the tumultuous crosscurrents of modernity.
Secure your copy here: www.hup.harvard...

[@sekarkuno4899]

Healthy narcissism? If, in this day and age, people still somehow feel narcissism is healthy, just go back to the mythology. There's nothing healthy going on in the story. It's all tragic and painful. And, like most of those old stories, it serves as a dire warning. We either wake up out of the trance or we drown in our reflection. (Don't forget Echo and her fate.. that's an entirely different level of misery.) There's no healthy middle ground to be found in the story of Narcissus, just as there's no shortcuts to self awareness. Emancipation from the trance comes only from accepting reality before it's too late. Abusing a word, a narrative, the fidelity of reality, or another human being only serves to prolong the trance.

[@princeandrey]

Freud talks about "primary narcissism," by which he means the psychological mechanism wherein "loves oneself" and therefore 1.) survives, and 2.) protects one's interests and 3.) maintains healthy defenses against self-destruction. In that sense , yes, it strays from the mythical allusion by positing the idea of self-love as a good thing in some sense.

[@themanwhoknewtoomuch6667]

"tragic and painful"
According to whom?

[@GMarieBehindTheMask]

You go to college or university and they dont speak much on it or the other personality disorders now we know why what a disgrace this country has become

[@LowenKM]

Narcissistic Capitalism, aka, "I _AM_ my BMW, Harley, pure-bred Yorkie, Rolex, designer jeans, McMansion, ACLU membership, trophy wife, Glock, whatever..."

[@HighSpeedNoDrag]

Smart Phones are a Major League Problem(s) regarding the on-gong and continuous propagation of Narcissism.

[@FaithflNdscreet]

Well first comes "I AM my name and my name is the shit! So buy it!"

[@annehechesliverdonation9624]

You are your f@#$@ khakis

[@GMarieBehindTheMask]

Narcissism is the Root Of All Evil

[@robertpetre9378]

It’s definitely a gateway for sure

[@jnetwork3232]

Devils emotions

[@HurricaneJD]

It is quite evil I just quit my job because of my narcissist boss who was gaslighting me for four years. now I'm out of a job and I'm about to be homeless because of that A-hole. You have to be a special kind of piece of crap to behave that way

[@princeandrey]

"Self-love is ne'er so great a sin as self-neglect." There is a healthy narcissism and there is a morbid or "malignant narcissism." Freud calls the former "primary narcissism." In our culture narcissism always equates to "malignant narcissism."

[@GodfreySilas]

The triad of narcissistic egocentricity, compulsive consumption and greed converges into an explosion in the United States. It is an impulse shared by an alarming contingent of the American population and deployed almost inadvertently. In fact, it is the true American way. It is an existential property or rather a dynamic feature of American exceptionalism. And finally, this is not just the preserve of the privileged.
- Godfrey Silas

[@firstnamelastname4653]

Lasch's treatment of narcissism goes beyond equating it merely with greed and consumption as she seems to think. I don't think she even read him.

[@Taylordessalines]

How so?

[@johnsammis1544]

@@Taylordessalines actually, what she attributes to Daniel Bell is much closer to Lasch. Bell advocated for capitalist consumption, whereas Lasch saw conspicuous consumption as a negative feature of capitalism. Lasch is vigorously anti-capitalist throughout every book he wrote.

[@matts4893]

America is capitalism without a conscience.

[@zacharydavis4398]

Thanks for spending the time to create and share this content awareness/perspective

[@ditchweed2275]

So violence is explosive narcissism

[@princeandrey]

If it's defensive violence then it is healthy (or primary) narcissism.

[@ImyStone]

Interesting :)

[@KimbradleyMasterGardener]

Great Job Liz! I am proud to be your friend and Gardener!

[@ANGEL-eh6pd]

Thank you.

[@demontrader1222]

Not only capitalism, but these forms of nationalist socialism we have such as social democracy and Chinese communism. Proper fraternal socialism which does not splice itself with capitalism is possibly less likely to be socially toxic.

[@ConanDuke]

"Capitalism cannot function without consumption."
Yet, inequality undermines consumer spending and confidence in capital.
Manufacturing their own gravediggers indeed.

[@johnsammis1544]

She attributes Lasch’s position to Daniel Bell and vis versa.

[@OrwellsHousecat]

FemiNarcissism, Hypergamy, Gynocentrism.
Say tgst instead of capitalism

[@ProMediaLLC]

You can use narcissist interchangeably with Obama.

[@princeandrey]

Glib psychologizing in the service of your politics does not qualify as insightful characterization.

[@LIVdaBrand]

With any president actually

[@cockatooinsunglasses7492]

​@@LIVdaBrandtrue.