“A narcissist can be your husband, wife, mother, father, sister, brother, boyfriend, girlfriend, neighbor, boss, church member, or anyone you come in contact with. There are endless possibilities of ‘who’ they can be the important thing to remember is the actions, behaviors, are all very similar.” (Tracy A. Malone.)
Narcissism in today’s time is on the rise, especially in younger generations (Barber, 2024). As the generations get younger, they become more self-absorbed, care more about how they are perceived, (Barber, 2024) We know what narcissism is, but do we know what it looks like? Most narcissists will brag about their achievements, constantly turn the conversation to themselves, manipulate and cheat to get ahead, and to surround themselves with people that look up to them (Twenge & Campbell, 2012). They crave validation; they want everything to be perfect (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2023). Those are just the tip of the iceberg regarding narcissism. As we rise into a narcissism epidemic, there are solutions to help cope with narcissism, such as seeking help through therapy.
Although narcissism has been around for ages there has only been one account of narcissism, it dates to the earliest Greek Mythology with a young man named Narcissus, which is where the term narcissism is derived from. He was a handsome and proud young man, He saw his own reflection within a water stream and became to enamored he died from old age from not being able to look away (Cherry, 2023). Although narcissism has been on the rise, it is believed that it is higher than ever now. San Diego State Psychologists, Jean Twenge, claims that “yes indeed, there is ample evidence to show that we’re living in a culture of escalating Narcissism” (Pierre, 2016). Dr. Twenge claim is back up from her own research by tracking different generations of college students (Pierre, 2016). Since Narcissism is on the rise what are some things that can cause it? Who does it manly affect? Causes of narcissism is still being researched into, but it could be linked to the environment, genetics and neurobiology (Mayo staff clinic, 2023). Studies show that narcissism can be found commonly in men rather than women, which can be found in early development of childhood, teens or early adult hood (Mayo staff clinic, 2023). Narcissism can cause many complications in day-to-day life, like relationship difficulties, depression and anxiety, physical health problems, drug or alcohol misuse (Mayo staff clinic, 2023).
Now white matter within the brain shows unusual in narcissism, white matter is connected to the different parts of the brain. The white matter is a communication between the different areas of gray matter but it’s hard for their brain to properly communicate which can lead to hard decisions making and challenging processing skills. In narcissism the prefrontal cortex shows how alterations can impact impulse control empathy, which is like their empathy controls are not working. (Neurolaunch editorial team, 2024).
Although narcissism is something that cannot be fully healed there are ways to cope with it, some common ways to cope with narcissism is with medication and psychotherapy. There is no FDA-approved medication to help, but medication alone will not help narcissism as it is unresponsive it can help with other underlying disorders such as depression and anxiety, mood stabilizers (Bridge to recovery, 2025). Psychotherapy, which is talk therapy that can be done either individually or with a partner or family (Restivo, 2024). Psychotherapy is the only thing that can help cope, there are different kinds of therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which focuses on changed thoughts and behaviors, Gestalt therapy help patients find relief from immediate distress, Dialect behavioral therapy (DBT) helps with developing new healthy coping skills, Transference-focused psychotherapy which helps aim to improve empathy within the individual (Restivo, 2024).
“Not only are there more narcissists than ever, but non-narcissistic people are seduced by the increasing emphasis on material wealth, physical appearance, celebrity worship and attention seeking.” Quoted by psychologists, Jean Twenge (Twenge & Campbell, 2009).
The use of narcissistic phrases has increased between the years 1960 and 2008 (Twenge & Campbell, 2012). There has been a study that East Asia tends to have lower self-esteem compared to Western cultures like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Japanese students also have a lower self-esteem compared with westerners (Hepper et al., 2011). which further shows how narcissism has been on the rise and will continue to rise. The only ways to help with the epidemic of narcissism is to help individuals seek therapy, or medication that can help with an underlying factor within narcissism like anti-depressants, anxiety medication and any mood stabilizers.
