Free eBooks The Narcissism Epidemic: Living In The Age Of Entitlement Available To Downloads
Narcissism—an inflated view of the self—is everywhere. Public figures say it’s what makes them stray from their wives. Parents teach it by dressing children in T-shirts that say "Princess." Teenagers and young adults hone it on Facebook, and celebrity newsmakers have elevated it to an art form. And it’s what’s making people depressed, lonely, and buried under piles of debt. Jean Twenge’s influential first book, Generation Me, spurred a national debate with its depiction of the challenges twenty- and thirty-somethings face in today’s world—and the fallout these issues create for educators and employers. Now, Dr. Twenge turns her focus to the pernicious spread of narcissism in today’s culture, which has repercussions for every age group and class. Dr. Twenge joins forces with W. Keith Campbell, Ph.D., a nationally recognized expert on narcissism, to explore this new plague in The Narcissism Epidemic, their eye-opening exposition of the alarming rise of narcissism and its catastrophic effects at every level of society. Even the world economy has been damaged by risky, unrealistic overconfidence. Drawing on their own extensive research as well as decades of other experts’ studies, Drs. Twenge and Campbell show us how to identify narcissism, minimize the forces that sustain and transmit it, and treat it or manage it where we find it. Filled with arresting, alarming, and even amusing stories of vanity gone off the tracks (would you like to hire your own personal paparazzi?), The Narcissism Epidemic is at once a riveting window into the consequences of narcissism, a prescription to combat the widespread problems it causes, and a probing analysis of the culture at large.
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Atria Books (April 13, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416575995
ISBN-13: 978-1416575993
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (233 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #42,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #56 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Research #81 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > Mental Illness #154 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > Pathologies
"The Narcissism Epidemic" is an often thought-provoking critique of modern American culture. We're definitely more obsessed with ourselves than decades ago, and it's certainly an uncomfortable experience to read the many examples here and recognize family members, friends, and loved ones. Yet despite the fact that both authors are academic research psychologists, there's an awful lot less psychology in this book than meets the eye. Truth be told, while there are a lot of good research studies on narcissism, both Twenge and Campbell are willing to go far beyond the data to extend their hypotheses to such areas as MySpace, online flamers, and dating websites. A wealth of social psychology and evolutionary psychology research explains these areas far better than Twenge and Campbell's thesis, yet this research is all but ignored by the authors. Many of the chapters rely on the tried-and-true anecdotal approach used in academic critiques of pop culture, often implying empirical support by associating them with unrelated research articles. I'm also annoyed at the almost total lack of chapter references; instead we are given a website to download this information from.The book ignores much of the social structure that supports narcissism and allows it to flourish. Yes, the parental and educational influences are clearly labelled. But codependency isn't probed. Nor is the general lack of assertiveness among many people. Narcissists can't run rampant within a society unless they are allowed to. In the chapter on the cult of celebrity, for example, the role of gossip mags as reinforcement for the celebrity narcissist is mentioned. But what about the consumer of such magazines?
For some time I've been wondering what the attraction of social networks such as MySpace and Facebook and dozens of imitators are all about. My children and most of their friends spend hours and hours on these "tell-all" websites. If I wish to know what my kids are up to, I can check their websites and the websites of their girl friends. My daughter ended up with some stalker problems and wisely cancelled her Facebook listing. I don't check my son's social sites often because I know I may not like what I find posted. Most of it is harmless news, but some of it is too personal for dear old Dad and Mom to want to know. Much of what is shown on many social sites may come back to bite the subject of the material on their rear ends. Employers often check the listings about potential employees. Some of my peers spend more time updating their social website listings than improving their business websites. I know that the number of so-call "friends" pictured on their social sites must require them to spend several hours a day corresponding. The business friends justify it as networking and self-promotion for their businesses. I have my doubts. I suspect those friendships are miles wide and a fraction of an inch deep. This book is about the fact that the Narcissism Epidemic has hooked millions of people into becoming "Me Addicts." These youngsters are the product of our American culture that glorifies wealth, beauty, glamour and fame and who have been told by their parents and teachers that they are truly outstanding individuals despite any flaws. The "Love Yourself" educational programs they have been brainwashed with throughout their school careers have gone amuck. The students have been protected from reality and turned into spoiled, entitled, and lazy adults.
"Narcissism is the fast food of the soul. It tastes great in the short term, has negative, even dire, consequences in the long term, and yet continues to have widespread appeal." (p. 259)For all intents and purposes, The Narcissism Epidemic is something of a sequel to Jean Twenge's previous book, Generation Me. Wheras that book focused on the younger generation's (and gen y's) increase in narcissistic behavior, this book focuses on the same trend as a nation- and worldwide phenomenon. From our ever-increasing obsession with fawning over the lives of the rich and glamorous (Real Housewives of Orange County, anyone?) to our rampant consumerism, this book tells the tale of a nation in a very strange state of decline. In a sense, we are loving ourselves to death.The first few chapters start off with the hard numbers. Twenge and Campbell have administered, and chased down, several experimental studies which demonstrate a very clear trend towards a more narcissistic attitude in the population. Young people list "being famous" as an important life goal far more frequently than their predecessors, the rise of platic surgery has increased FIVEFOLD in the past ten years (which COULD be explained by the fact that it has become more affordable, but the increase is so large that this explanation is unlikely to be the MAIN one). More and more newspaper articles and tv shows focus on narcissistic themes than in years past. Infintitely more people, when given the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, yield results consistent with narcissism than in years past. In other words, the rise in narcissism is thoroughly documented here.
The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement Going for Broke: Deficits, Debt, and the Entitlement Crisis The Entitlement Trap: How to Rescue Your Child with a New Family System of Choosing, Earning, and Owne rship Aligning Values and Politics: Empowerment Versus Entitlement Living Off The Grid And Loving It: 40 Creative Ways To Living A Stress Free And Self-Sustaining Lifestyle (Simple Living, Off Grid Living, Off The Grid Homes, DIY Survival Guide, Prepping & Survival) Boundaries: Line Between Right And Wrong (Mental Illness, Codependency, Narcissism, Personality Disorders, Psychopath, Borderline, Mood Disorders) The Selfishness of Others: An Essay on the Fear of Narcissism Why Is It Always About You?: The Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism Malignant Self-love: Narcissism Revisited (FULL TEXT, 10th edition, 2015) Narcissism: Denial of the True Self Psychology: You Might Be a Narcissist If.... (Books on Narcissism Book 1) Fifty Shades of Narcissism: Your Brain on Love, Sex and the Narcissist: The Biochemical Bonds That Create an Addiction to Our Abusers Subject to Delusions: Narcissism, Modernism, Gender (Avant-Garde & Modernism Studies) Emotional Abuse Exposed Box Set: Personality Disorders, Narcissism, Sociopath, Psychopath Series I Know Best: How Moral Narcissism Is Destroying Our Republic, If It Hasn't Already A Clear and Present Danger: Narcissism in the Era of Donald Trump Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism (The Master Work Series) Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems of Subjugation (Relational Perspectives Book Series) Narcissism: Easily Disarming Narcissists and Understanding Their Selfish Personality Disorder (Psychopath, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Narcissist ... Mood Disorders, Con Men, Sociopath) Alive Inside: How to Overcome Toxic Love and Narcissism in Relationships (Detoxify Your Life Book 2)
