Narcissism
From Cyborg Anthropology
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Definition
"Narcissistic personality disorder was first defined in 1967. The DSM-IV defines the essential feature of narcissism as "a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy that begins in early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts" [1].
The central requirement for N.P.D. is a special kind of self-absorption: a grandiose sense of self, a serious miscalculation of one’s abilities and potential that is often accompanied by fantasies of greatness. It is the difference between two high school baseball players of moderate ability: one is absolutely convinced he’ll be a major-league player, the other is hoping for a college scholarship" [2].
The second requirement for N.P.D.: since the narcissist is so convinced of his high station (most are men), he automatically expects that others will recognize his superior qualities and will tell him so. This is often referred to as “mirroring.” It’s not enough that he knows he’s great. Others must confirm it as well, and they must do so in the spirit of “vote early, and vote often” [3].
Removal from DSM
"The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (due out in 2013, and known as DSM-5) has eliminated five of the 10 personality disorders that are listed in the current edition" [4].
Digitalism and Narcissism
In a world where anyone can do anything, narcissism is more of a healthy way to ensure a sense of survival in a world that is increasingly intellectual and strategic.
Everybody has narcissistic traits, and many of these are healthy, even required, to be a success in certain segments of the modern world. “Narcissism is not a disease,” says Freed. "It’s an evolutionary strategy that can be incredibly successful—when it works, ” Today, grandiosity can get the average schlub anything from a reality-TV show to 100,000 Twitter followers. Joe the Plumber was, by definition, a "regular Joe" who became instantly famous via the 24-hour news cycle. Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube. In such an environment, it's natural—even smart—to be narcissistic enough to think you could be the next celebrity, because you could be [5].
