What draws Americans to Narcissistic Personalities?

FRANKLIN, Mich. - March 11, 2016 - PRLog -- Much has been written about narcissism in contemporary American society.  It is seen in many places - politics being the most obvious, but also in executive managers and religious leaders.  Americans seem to be drawn to big ideas and promises that convey the idea that things can and will be better if you simply heed the advice of the narcissistic individual who is saying it.

But why are Americans listening to these individuals?  Surely there is nothing wrong with being attracted to an individual whose ideas seem to meet certain needs and desires we want, especially when someone in a position of authority makes the claim.  (And, of course, the media makes it virtually impossible to ignore such people).  There are many reasons for this attraction, but from the perspective of personality psychology and years of clinical practice, there are a number of reasons that I believe account for this.

Life today is filled with many things that frighten us.  While it was over a decade ago, 9/11 was a wake-up call to Americans that we are vulnerable and disliked at a global level by many.   Bombs can be detonated and hid in airplanes, shoes, and underwear.  Every time we go to the airport, TSA and the security process makes us acknowledge that we may not be safe on this airplane because of the dangers that lie out there.  Similarly, ISIS and the almost incessant news reports of their activities remind us that people like us are being killed and tortured.  We are not safe.

But beyond that, we live in a world where we can be cyberattacked, hacked, and our electronic identities stolen.   When the basic facts of who we are and what proves this to others can be compromised, it is easy to feel scared.  Furthermore, with the rampant availability of guns and the daily killing of innocent people by people who are angry (and almost always have some form of mental illness), we easily fear for our lives.  Even our children cannot go to school without feeling as if their safety is being compromised.  Columbine, Newtown, and dozens of other such incidents made that terror a reality. And finally, though money and guns were not enough, the cost of living and raising a family has increased at a rate that has not kept up with pay.  It is easy to be anxious and fearful about paying the bills, and to have the imminent fear of job loss (or worse, foreclosure) hanging over your head on a daily basis.

With such dangers out there, Americans look to those who can possibly provide answers and hope.   When even small amounts of fear and anxiety activate the sympathetic nervous system, individuals are more ready to act, not think.  So, when narcissistic individuals are given a platform to offer solutions to these problems, and they offer a solution that readily dissipates fears, they become attractive - so solutions such as removing Muslim people from society, building walls, taxing people more or less, trusting a higher power to give all you need without making a plan yourself, or making guns readily available so that evil people can be stopped immediately engage a positive affective response of relief.  Despite their irrational and unlikely nature, such ideas---and the people behind them---are embraced by the many who have so much to fear.

And while the grandiose, flamboyant narcissist is attractive to the fearful, the fearful themselves often experience their own narcissistic threat.  By this, I mean that their self-esteem and self-regard are readily compromised when someone disagrees with them.  Disagreement or disapproval leads to anxiety, feeling threatened), and consequently fear (again).  This makes them even more likely to become emboldened to hold on tighter to their discredited ideas.  For some of these individuals, they will act out in ways that can be dramatic, such as taking hostages or shooting those who members of a particular group who are threatening.  For others, however, the reaction to the disapproval or disagreement of others is one of shame, inadequacy, and depressed feelings.  Instead of acting out, they keep in their affects---which, on the surface, are predominantly depressed and negative; yet underneath, there is often unacknowledged anger and frustration toward those who disapprove or disagree.  At the extreme, it may explain why the quiet, unassuming individual opts to act in very dramatic ways.  More often, however, it might explain again the allure of the grandiose narcissist to such individuals, who offer assurances that ease the vulnerable person's fears and unconscious anger, despite being irrational and unreasonable.

It is time for American culture to start taking its narcissism more seriously, as it often ends in self-defeat. And while it is true some very successful people are highly narcissistic, what they offer must be carefully evaluated for what it reasonably is, not just what it promises to relieve.  American society can move away from this narcissism when it starts to meet people right where they are, recognizes individuals' genuine and honest fears, and provides assurance and tangible solutions that enhances people's feelings of self-efficacy and ability to navigate the calm through the storm without being overwhelmed. Consequently, the allure of grandiose leaders will become more neutralized, so that they can be seen as more human and less magical.  Increased personal efficacy can then become more important to solving problems than in trusting in the allure of the highly narcissistic who fail to produce real results other than their own glorification.

http://www.psychologiststevenhuprich.com/