Collective Narcissism And What It Does To Society

[JoyousAsOtters]

www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/11/group-narcissism/620632/?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits

I read this article and so much of it I think rings true for issues we often discuss on this board - what do you all think? So many things chimed for me, for example:

‘ Having a healthy social identity can have an immensely positive impact on well-being. Collective narcissists, though, are often more focused on out-group prejudice than in-group loyalty. In its most extreme form, group narcissism can fuel political radicalism and potentially even violence. But in everyday settings, too, it can keep groups from listening to one another, and lead them to reduce people on the “other side” to one-dimensional characters. The best way to avoid that is by teaching people how to be proud of their group—without obsessing over recognition’

There's another excellent, related article;

''People who have high self-esteem think of their social relationships as collaborative, while those with narcissism see the world as a zero-sum game. Only one person can be the best, they think, and it must be them.
“Self-esteem is about being satisfied with yourself as a person and accepting yourself for who you are, regardless of how you compare to others,”... “Narcissism is very much about feeling superior to other people.”
www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/10/self-esteem-narcissism/599836/

I believe that people fall into two groups, collaborative vs hierarchical.

The difference may turn out to be as simple as people who are self accepting and emotionally resilient, vs those who need the safety of approval of the group. The second type are in thrall to hierarchical types who need to dominate, and act as their flying monkeys.

Thanks, OP, interesting read. Away to read the 2nd, now!