Narcissism and Society

All three parts of my essay "Narcissism and Society" are now posted.

PART I

PART II

PART III

Comments are welcome. I wrote it to stimulate discussion. It is by no means comprehensive, since in the interests of space I decided to leave out some discussion. My apologies for the use of psychiatric jargon. In all cases I tried to make sure that an appropriate definition of the term or phrase was made, but if you get confused, it is entirely my fault.

It is not my intention to claim that ALL behavior or ALL of the evil in the world is a result of Narcissism. What I do believe is that Kohut's Psychology of the Self might be able to help us understand our own proclivities and leanings in the sphere of human activity. The Self, as I have discussed it, is obviously a critical part of our essential human nature. And, as is pointed out in the essay, understanding human nature is essential for political, economic, and social institutions and theories to work in the real world.

It would indeed be grandiose of me to say that this synthesis is the end of the discussion--rather, I hope it will add to the discussion that has been ongoing for quite some time about the role of the individual in society.