Culture and Narcissism
By:
THEODORE MILLON and
Seth Grossman
Carrie Millon
Sarah Meagher
Rowena Ramnath
Because
individualistic cultures value self-identity over group identity, pathological
narcissism fits well in that cultural climate.
But how might it arise and be expressed in a collectivist society?
In
an individualistic culture, the narcissist is “God’s gift to the world.” In a
collectivist society, however, the narcissist is “God’s gift to the
collective.” Because of this special status, the collectivist narcissist is
granted privileges within the group not generally available to others.
For
example, in fifteenth-century Spain, a collectivist culture, first-born males
were regarded as hidalgos (literally, sons of something) and stood to inherit the
family’s wealth. Sons born subsequently were known as segundones (literally, second ones) and, because of their lower status in
the family, had to make their own fortune.
Not
surprisingly, many Spanish conquistadors who came to the New World in search of
their fortune were segundones.
Because
the self develops in accordance with cultural patterns, you would expect
different forms of the self to develop in different societies. Roland (1992)
discusses the familial or we-self, more characteristic of collectivist
cultures, and the individualized or I-self, more characteristic of
individualistic cultures.
In
the United States, an individualistic society, the inner representation of the
self emphasizes individuality and a self with outer boundaries that are rather
impermeable. Accordingly, “individualistic narcissistic structures of
self-regard . . . are relatively self-contained and independent” (Warren &
Capponi, 1995, p. 79).
In
collectivist cultures, such as Japan, the development of the inner self
“involves intensely emotional intimacy relationships” (p. 80), symbiotic
reciprocity, and ego boundaries that are permeable and accessible to those in the
collective. Accordingly, “narcissistic configurations of the we-self . .
. denote self-esteem derived from strong identification with the reputation and
honor of the family, groups, and others in hierarchical relationships” (p. 80).
References
Personality Disorders in Modern Life,
second edition, 2000, 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Read Also
Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Case vignette (1)
Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Case vignette (2)
Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Case vignette (3)
Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Case vignette (2)
Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Case vignette (3)
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