What is Our Collective Consciousness Trying to Tell Us About Narcissism

At the turn of the twentieth century, our western society saw a monumental explosion in the field of Psychology. Behind this movement, were the brilliant minds of both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, who, to a certain extent, led the charge. In fact, one of the most significant events of the early 1900’s that was an intrinsic part of this particular field of study, was that of the 1907 meeting, where the two giants got a chance to meet each other face-to-face. For the most part, the two had completely different opinions as far as the human mind was concerned. The one area that two did happen to agree on, was that of the overall importance of the unconscious, and the sentiments that would later manifest in Jungian Psychology as the ideas of the collective unconscious, as well as what is often referred to as collective consciousness.

According to Jungian Psychology, what we label as the unconscious mind, is that part of the psyche that consists of different ideas, concepts, and memories, that we are for the most part completely unaware of. Branching out further towards modern day conceptions of the unconscious mind, it is comprised of those thoughts that take no effort, that occur almost from a mindless autopilot state, whereas conscious thoughts are those that require more effort.

Moreover, it is from this notion of the unconscious mind, that Jungian Psychology brought with it the idea of the Shadow Self. Essentially, the Shadow Self is synonymous with the totality of the unconscious mind and consists of those behaviors that we engage in that we are not completely conscious of, and that are the result of parts of ourselves that we have hidden away or suppressed through a type of conditioning that has termed said behaviors as bad, negative, or shameful.

However, of all the conceptualizations that were the byproduct of this field of thought, perhaps the most fascinating of all, are that of the idea of what Jung referred to as the collective unconscious, and respectively, collective consciousness. On the one hand, what Jung termed as the collective unconscious, referred to that part of the unconscious mind which is derived from ancestral memory and experience and is common to all of humankind, as direct from the individual’s unconscious. According to Jung, this part of the brain was an extension of the id, and perhaps more importantly, that on this level, all human beings share an subconscious mind, that sort of inherits the wisdom of previous ancestorial generation.

Conversely, was that of the notion of collective consciousness, which refers to the condition of the subject within the whole of society, and how any given individual comes to view themselves as a part of any given group, especially insofar as collective consciousness consists of shared ideas, beliefs, and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force throughout a society. Or, in other words, that on a societal level, there are a set of shared ideas that exist both on the individual level, as well as in that of the group, to a degree that one cannot be identified or viewed as separate from the other. Now, let’s expand on that a little.

It can be a truly enriching experience, to observe the phenomenon of the collective consciousness at work, and for the most part, it is so subtle, that it can be difficult to even detect until it has passed over altogether. For instance, the context of the recent election has revealed to us how on a societal level that we on a collective level, are tremendously divided, and that we hold a certain level of distrust for various political procedures, which has been a belief that has been building with a considerable amount of momentum even since the Nixon Presidency. Regardless, what we see here, is that a sizeable body of people’s awareness was brought to this event, and more or less came to a certain similar belief, even if it was to agree to disagree; which is what we see in the ironic twisted fate that half of the country is left feeling that the integrity of the election was compromised through voter manipulation, while the other half is believing that the integrity of the election was compromised by an individual that failed to accept tradition, failed to concede, and that perpetuated this by launching a bogus court campaign to deal with the issue. So, in a sense, we are all in agreement; the divide just comes from deciding where to place the blame.

But this curious spectacle is constantly taking place all around us. We see this whenever there is a school shooting, and in the context of a classroom discussion, we unanimously come to the agreement that it is at the fault of mental illness and video games, almost without even thinking about it, because this is the narrative that we have heard for the last twenty plus years. In a way, we have inherited this belief, and it is deeply instilled within us, even though the art of popular culture desensitizes us to violence. And, while on the topic of art, it is further revealed in the one-hundredth instillment of a certain action movie, where either the German’s or Russian’s or the villain of the movie, further speaking to this belief of the American people. Just as we what we witness in the context of social media, when Jeff Epstein or Pizzagate meme’s become trending topics through the meme’s that speak to them and reveal to us how we feel about some of the more personal and darker issues of our society. It doesn’t take much deduction to note how the American people feel about the issue, when, Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself, memes were one of if not the most popular trending social media posts in that given year alone.

That being said, it is from this level of societal awareness and acceptance of a belief, that we should observe one of the most fascinating issues that has made its way as one of the most trending topics in the collective conscious. Personally, contemplating the issue, might illicit a response, such as, “Where was I when everyone suddenly became a specialist at diagnosis mental disorders, especially in the area of personality disorders? Is it just me, or did everyone around me just suddenly receive their M.D in Psychology in the area of dealing with atypical behavior?” Speaking from my own experience, Psychology was my minor in College; I received an A.A in Psychology, and I don’t even have the confidence to go around, “Well, the neighbor has A.D.D, and Carol from down the street is your classical case of Manic-Depressive Disorder. But, holy guacamole Batman, do you know Karen from Safeway? That’s a full-blown mess of a labyrinth. She’s definitely a Narcissist.”

Speaking to the title, this is, of course, in observation to the fact that Narcissism has been steadily on the rise for the last four years or so, to the point that it is finally at the level of our collective conscious, which this article will scrutinize as if an organism under a microscope in order to highlight those factors that might have contributed to this, and what, if anything, the collective consciousness is trying to tell us by bring this interesting topic to our awareness.

What is Narcissism?

According to the American Psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. NPD or Narcissistic Personality disordered is characterized as comprising a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), a constant need for admiration, and a lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by the presence of at least 5 of the following 9 criteria:

· A grandiose sense of self-importance

· A preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

· A belief that he or she is special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions

· A need for excessive admiration

· A sense of entitlement

· Interpersonally exploitive behavior

· A lack of empathy

· Envy of others or a belief that others are envious of him or her

· A demonstration of arrogant and haughty behaviors or attitudes

In a proposed alternative model cited in DSM-5, NPD is characterized by moderate or greater impairment in personality functioning, manifested by characteristic difficulties in 2 or more of the following 4 areas [2] :

· Identity

· Self-direction

· Empathy

· Intimacy

Bearing this working definition, and the criterion for said diagnosis, what is one of the most intriguing aspects of our collective’s sudden fascination with this particular personality disorder in question, is found in the mere fact that Narcissistic Personality Disorder, by the very definition, is a psychological anomaly. Ostensibly, narcissists have suddenly popped up everyone, everyone onto themselves knowing one or two of them personally, when the fact of the matter is that it is estimated that only 1 to 3 percent of the global, not national, population has this particular personality disorder.

In short, finding a narcissist could be likened to running into bigfoot, the abominable snowman, a unicorn, or a woman that is about a ten hot, and around a two crazy, on the crazy hot matrix. That is, it just doesn’t happen. It is anomalous. Again, on a personal level, I can speak to this, in that I myself, am somewhat of an anomaly, as I risk being too personal in relating that I have Asperger’s as part of Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is on this level, where again, it is estimated that only three percent of the entire population has this specific condition, that I have perhaps had the privilege of personally meeting four individuals with a case of Autism similar to mine in the entirety of my thirty-year lifespan. Again, it is very rare. Still, it would seem if all of a sudden, everyone is going around and talking about their encounter with the fabled Loch Ness Monster. For this reason, let’s look at how this particular beast has reared its nasty head into every aspect of our lives, how it presents itself, as well as what may be some of the underlining causes that have created for it, and to see if there is anything that we can learn from it.

Into the Looking Glass: How Narcissism Appears in the Context of Our Society

One of the major indications that something is taking place on a societal level and has become a sort of core or collective issue, is whenever we see a mass influx in the number of scholarly articles and journals written on the topic, which is exactly what we see in the case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It is as if the country’s best and brightest all got together, and decided, okay this has become a trending topic, so let’s see if we can get to the bottom of it. Again, let’s make the comparison with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, because in a similar event, although only three percent of the population has the particular condition, that alone was enough to warrant for a classification of an epidemic, although it hardly seems to the degree that we see in the epidemic that is the Corona Virus.

On this level, an unprecedented amount of research has occurred to examine the issue that covers what seems like the whole gamut of how it can be analyzed; some of those insights I will share in this article. It should be noted, that one of the main focal points seems to be that of getting down to the cause of what has created for this apparent increase.

Here we see another faculty of our waking lives where this issue has made itself manifest. One of the more fascinating revelations in this particular area of study, as is found in the discovery, that not only is there a direct correlation or relationship between narcissism and social media, but a resounding consensus that social media itself may in fact contribute to this reality, and that it may in fact hold some responsibility for the rise in Narcissism, or at the very least narcissistic behaviors, especially when considering such variables as the fact that immediate social media approval or praise has been shown to reduce emotional responses.

The main thought behind this theory is found in the way that social media almost revolves around creating this social image of the selfie, which could almost in a word, be epitomized by, and characterized by what has become known as the selfie. The word alone speaks to how social media predominately centers around presenting one’s personal life to the world, and that to a certain extent, is synonymous with the types of self-absorption that you would see in Narcissistic personality disorder; declaring to the world, this is my life see how great it is, when the reality is in fact a stark juxtaposition or even an outright distortion of the fact. And it certainly doesn’t help that on average, people usually spend more than three hours per day on their various social media platforms creating for this idealistic self-image.

There is also the issue in that mostly, the social media experience is tailored to this self-image, and self-absorption. Generally speaking, we typically want to post those moments in our life that receive a positive reaction. And as a result, it becomes a sort of virtual accomplishment board, which is undeniable in our day and age if you consider how we’ve gotten to the point to be weary enough of what we post, because we know that potential employers might look at it. Thus, we generally only post those things that highlight the best parts of ourselves. And it becomes a mural of graduations, past and recent employers, how amazing your relationship is with your significant other is, even if you frequently get into quarrels with them behind close doors, and so on and so forth. Which is to say, that we are less than likely to post about the other side; our mistakes, short comings, vulnerabilities, that time we hit rock bottom, and things of this nature. And that too becomes synonymous with the type of illusions that narcissistic individuals create for.

And that is only one way in which it has affected our virtual world. Now, what we also see, is how it is not uncommon for individuals to have an experience that displeases them on their social media accounts, so then they take it upon themselves to illustrate entire private conversations for the whole world to see; going on about how this was how they were being subjected to gaslighting, this is why they are a horrible person, they made this atrocious mistake — see, I told you they were a narcissist. While it is more than apparent that this issue has ebbed it’s way both into the academic and virtual realm of our lives, the fact of the matter, is that it has become commonplace, and is just about everywhere.

For instance, I could go on and on into infinitum about the personal experiences of the fore lore of the monstrous Yeti. One example, that sheds insight into how it relates to our Political sphere, is found in the way, that during one of my Sociology classes during the last election, my Professor decided to, almost out of nowhere go on a tangent of how President Trump was undeniably a Narcissist. She was quite sure of it, and according to her, he had all of the identifying characteristic of it. But, while we are on that note, let’s examine it a little further.

Another consensus that we find is scholarly articles related to this matter, although from a slightly different scope, is that typically speaking, we can expected to find Narcissist at the top so to speak. That is, they are the CEO’s, the managers at our work, police officers, or any other position that has any sense of authority or power. Generally speaking, it is because these roles appeal to their personality, as well as the symptoms that they have. For instance, they lack a sense of empathy, so they have no problem firing or laying someone off for no apparent reason, or simply to meet some tax write of, or maybe even just to put more money in their pocket. It appeals to their inflated sense of self, their grandiosity, and the appearance they are trying to create of how great and star-spangled awesome they are. And as a result, they have absolutely no difficulties walking over anyone and anything that gets in their way towards getting to the top at the bat of an eye. That is, they are very much of the ego, and as such, need an occupation that will ultimately stoke it as the narc sees fit. I touch on this, because I feel there are a few take always that we can learn from this.

The notion that narcs seek positions of power is a substantiated fact. So let’s say, for the moment that my Sociology Professor who graduated from Harvard was correct in her assumption that Donald Trump is a narcissist, and the whole overarching idea that these individuals want authoritative occupations, which brings up the whole sentiment that you should question the motives of anyone that actually wants positions of power. This creates for a rather interesting dynamic when one stops and thinks about it and is something that is very revealing about social dynamics or an issue of biosocial theory as it relates to this topic.

For the moment, it feels safe to assume that we abhor the narcissist, or at the very their behaviors. That for one, seems like a belief we can agree on from the level of the collective consciousness. However, this is interesting because in essence the President is the end all personification of emulating the characteristics we see fit in a leader. We look up to individuals in positions of power, the authoritative figures, and the masters of the field to guide us in how we should act, behave, and go about things. When we want to learn something, we want to go to a kind of leader in the field. We turn to the greats in Einstein in other brilliant indivdiauls in academics, and in the area of spirituality, we look to spiritual leaders, and it is always someone that is an authority in a specific field; and generally speaking, the narcissist finds themselves in these positions of power. So on the one hand, we go on hating the tendencies and behaviors of the narcissist, but at the very same time, there is a very possible reality that we might be trying to mirror the behavior of someone that is above us, and who might in all actuality be a narcissist, case in point Donald Trump in the hypothetical situation. And speaking to the matter of positions of power, that brings up a second point, in that, for the most part, the overwhelming majority of us are not in the same position as those top ten percent of financial earners who find themselves in such occupations, and as such, as to the fact that it is damn near impossible to encounter this particular unicorn.

All that asides, the fact of the matter, is that this is an issue of the collective conscious, or unconscious, as is indicated in the mere fact that it has damn near found its way into every aspect of our lives, and it’s as if there is no safe place to try and escape from it. For instance, the publication platform that I will post this to already has some ten thousand articles on the topic. I will admit here that I was hesitant in writing this piece; I had wanted to avoid talking on the issue altogether, but it has become such a collective matter, that I finally caved in. That, and I had a sort of F it moment, when I was rightly prompted by a newsletter from a different publisher that was another article on the issue.

Everywhere you seem to look, there it is. I know someone who has been a family friend for years, that has seemingly been happily married for twenty-five years, and all of a sudden, she up and filed for divorce, claiming that her significant other was secretly a Narcissist. She believes that as she believes in Jesus, will die for that belief, and attends a weekly support group for Narcissist abuse. Similarly, I have a neighbor who is merely twenty-one years old. She young, naïve, has yet the faintest clue about life, or what direction she wants to go in it, and still has a lot to learn, but she is as convinced as a child believes in the tooth-fairy that her last ex was a narcissist and listens to a how to cope with the narcissist in your life podcast on a daily basis. She has the faintest clue about how to replace the coolant in her car, be she can tell you with resounding clarity that she is an expert on Narcissism.

And try as you might, you can’t get away from it. I for one, love Eastern Philosophy, and the whole overarching umbrella of spirituality-based ideas, and I found someone’s YouTube channel that spoke to all these things and to new age spirituality. So, I was excited, and I thought to myself, surely it won’t rear its nasty head here. Boy was I wrong. Que the heavy gesticulations, and the bold claims of fake news. His come to fame story consists of dealing with parents that were narcissists and a whole range of videos on the topic. Gosh damn it.

Not only that but it is extremely fascinating to listen to the reasoning behind it all. Such and such is a Narcissist, I just know it. Really, what makes you think that? Well, for starters, he’s such a know it all. Huh? That sounds like my uncle. Granted, he graduated from WestPoint, worked at the Pentagon, was the President of Raytheon, and knows seven different languages fluently. Do you think my uncle might be a Narcissist? Oh no, no, that’s different. Or, really, what makes you think that? Well, this one time, I caught them in a lie. You don’t say. Hey Karen, have you ever told even the slightest white lie? You know I have, but that’s different; I don’t pathologically lie about everything like he does. Umm, okay. Didn’t you just say that you caught him in a lie just that one time. You really want to keep going down this road of how you saw Bigfoot?

And to a certain extent, this is a kind of psychological mechanism that is as old as time. When someone does something that we don’t like, or they upset us, or offend us, then we think of the worse insult we can hurl at them before we ride off into the sunset in the other direction. Your father was a hamster, and your mother wreaked of elderberries; shoo, I fart in your general direction. We see this even in breakups. Psychologically it occurs that we begin to view said person from a different, slightly more negative light to deal with the loss. Which would explain a great deal of how everyone’s ex’s apparently are raging narcissists. It just seems that it has become that the end all, I can’t think of a better insult, is just to label the person as such.

There is another issue though that I find telling about the narcissist and how are collective has chosen to respond to it, and the behaviors we inherently don’t like. Generally speaking, at least as far as the field of Psychology is concerned, especially from the thoughts of none other than Jung himself, we usually don’t like or reject what we repress or don’t like about ourselves. And it is interesting how much we detest about the Narcs self-absorption and the way that indulge in the self. We just can’t stomach it. It is interesting, because it seems that on a societal level, we have a very difficult time of deeply appreciating the self, especially on a healthy level. A monk made a remark to this fact, in that the chaos of the world is the result of man not appreciating himself enough. To quote Jim Carrey, Society is not built for the human spirit,” and he was talking to the point of how difficult it is in our culture, to shine in your light and love confidently and to be your most true and authentic self. I make this remark, again, out of speculation as to what we can learn from all of this, and to address what it is that the collective unconscious is trying to reveal to us through bringing awareness to it.

The fact remains, however, that this has become a pressing issue on a societal level for whatever the reason. As such, finding ourselves in this junction, it calls for us to discuss and look at it for what it is, and to see what we can learn from it in all of its multidimensional color. Why is our collective awareness on something that is so rare, and what are we trying to address at this level? Or is it that calling someone a Narcissist is simply the best insult we can think of for someone that rubbed us the wrong way? This conversation is crucial on two fronts. The first of which is found in how research suggests that Narcissism is more prominent in the United States; that the societal frameworks of the competitive capitalistic society that we live in is the sort of prime breading grounds for it. Most importantly, however, it should be to address what has emerged as the idea of collective narcissism, which isn’t quite what it sounds to be.

On a rudimentary level, like the collective unconscious or conscious, it is yet another shared belief by a large number of people. However, in this instance, it refers to a large group of people that have an inflated perception of the group, and that need constant validation of it. While I admit that narcissism on an individual level is as rare a phenomenon as the aligning of all the planets, I can not help but note how fitting this is for America, especially in the context of Make America Great Again. It is found in the context of every political speech sprinkled with we have the greatest education, best that, these are the highest numbers we’ve seen in the history of forever, we’ve never seen staggering election polls like this, and so on and so forth into infinitum. It is also seen in the ethnocentric and xenophobic attitudes that we carry, that it is that are ideas, beliefs, and teachings are right, and others are wrong. That we are the land of the free, and that we are so awesome because of this, when the fact is that some 180 out of 208 countries have sovereignty and freedom, and in the widely held belief that America is the greatest country in the world, when the facts don’t support it, unless you’re talking about military spending in which we spend more than the next twenty-seven countries, twenty-five of which are allies.

The image is my own; it’s for myself

I burn with love; I fan the flames I feel.

What now? Woo, or be Wooed? Why woo at all?

My loves myself — my riches beggar me.

Would I might leave my body? I could wish

Strange lover’s wish! My love were not so near!

Narcissus — Ovid’s Metamorphoses