Is a selfie the result of self-esteem or rather insecurity?

Some psychologists believe that narcissists are a ticking time bomb that can cause a great deal of destruction, others argue that this is an obvious strategy for dealing with our complex world, but there is one thing that everyone agrees on - the scope of the phenomenon.

Maor Moiger

03/11/2021

Wednesday, 03 November 2021, 08:54 Updated: Friday, 03 December 2021, 08:03

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

• Share on general

• Comments

  Comments

In 2013, the New York Times published a cover story with the headline: The Generation Me Me Me.

The article talked about the millennial generation, or Generation Y, which in the editor's view is made up of "lazy, narcissistic people, who think they deserve everything and still live with their parents."

In the same breath it was also noted on the gate that that spoiled generation "might save us all."

More on Walla!

Why do many Generation Y feel like they have no friends?

To the full article

But if you thought that the generation that was repeatedly criticized for being self-centered would not continue this cycle of accusations - you should keep reading.

In a 2019 study, a psychology professor from Ohio named Joshua Grove gathered people of different ages, from those "millennials" (those born in the 80s and 90s) to "boomers" born in the decades after World War II.

His research found that people of all ages tended to think that younger generations of them were narcissistic and more pampered.

He also found that the more significant the age gap, the stronger and more extreme this perception.

A generation of narcissistic lazy people who will save us all?

Young people celebrating (Photo: ShutterStock)

In other words, twenty-plus-year-olds believe teens are more focused on themselves.

"Boomers" think that about them - and in a much more extreme way about children and teenagers.

The disparaging and all-too-famous saying, "Children of today," does not disappear over the years - quite the contrary.

As time goes on, the gaps between the generations only sharpen - and this equation is penetrated by contempt, distance and reduction.

So are people really getting more narcissistic as the world progresses?

Spoiler: The answer is yes, but the reality, as we shall soon see, is much more complex and much less simplistic.

Before we get to that, let's understand what it means to be a narcissist. In May 2021, Ohio University researchers published a review examining 437 studies on narcissism that together included data on more than 123,000 people. This is in order to examine what exactly this trait is and how it affects people in the long run. The researchers defined such people as "those who think they are special, who deserve special treatment. Their self-importance is exaggerated and inflated beyond all proportion."

In the study, experts found a generational link between narcissism and nervousness and outbursts of anger. They noted that people with narcissistic character traits have "thinner skin, so they may get out of balance when challenged or criticized."

In a previous study conducted by the same researchers from Ohio in 2014, they surprisingly found that narcissists can be identified in a very simple way - they prove themselves to be such.

Research has shown that when people are faced with the question: "To what extent do you agree with the statement: I am a narcissist?" - many of them simply rank high on this scale, some are even proud of this trait.

More on Walla!

• How to raise a child with self-confidence

• If you stop looking in the mirror you will feel much better about yourself

• Ilan Refaeli: Our natural Israeli development to prevent hair loss has proven to be effective

Another survey, published in 2008, examined data on 85 people who filled out personality questionnaires to identify narcissistic character traits between 1979 and 2006. These findings showed that during this period there was a jump of about 30 percent in this figure.

And these findings, it is important to emphasize, were published before social networks and smartphones played such a significant part in the lives of all of us.

There is now a fairly broad consensus among psychologists that narcissistic tendencies are on the rise in all developed countries.

So people are getting more focused on themselves - is that really that bad?

Eligibility, that is, the feeling that "I deserve everything," characterizes everyone who ranks high in the narcissism index.

However, it is important to understand that there are two main types of the phenomenon - and the difference between them is significant.

When we imagine narcissistic people - we think of extroverted people, with high self-esteem, unaware of the environment, who are constantly seeking attention and being at the center of things.

On the other hand, there is another type of narcissism that is rarely talked about.

These are very vulnerable people, with low self-esteem, who are actually considered very sensitive to the environment, sometimes even too sensitive.

These are people who will usually be pessimistic and bitter, defensive, anxious and afraid of criticism.

On the other hand, they will also be arrogant, think they know better than anyone and will be willing to go but only in their own way.

Extroverted narcissists will upload selfies to the net because they believe they look amazing.

Ked Jenner while taking a selfie (Photo: screenshot, Instagram)

While extroverted narcissists will upload selfies to the web because they believe they look amazing and the whole world should see them, the more introverted will also upload photos to the web, but will do so because they so desperately need positive reinforcements from the environment.

The result, in both cases, will be the same, but what is behind it is much more indicative of the human psyche in the picture.

Research from the University of Ohio suggests that both men and women are more likely to experience violence against their environment - whether through cyberbullying, swearing and shouting or even physical violence.

But it is important not to get carried away with this simplistic catalog.

It is important for each of us to know how to see the deeper layers in this picture and try to understand why in the modern age, this disorder is so common.

"Functional and healthy strategy for dealing with the modern world"

While our lives seem to get simpler over the years, no one has any doubt that modern life in the same breath is also much more complex than it was in the past. With high levels of anxiety, stress and social alienation - people are more thirsty than ever for reinforcements from the environment and virtual love that they do not always receive in life itself. We are all flooded with stimuli and information, which raises the threshold of excitement, cultivates apathy and causes us to need, sometimes desperately, more sympathy, more incentives. And one can only imagine how significant this need will be for the generation already born into the culture of Instagram, selfies and history.

Back in 2001, there were those who were able to understand that this was a significant problem that needed to be addressed, but from an examining and non-judgmental point of view. American psychologist and researcher Keith Campbell wrote that year: "Narcissism may actually be a functional and healthy strategy to deal with the challenges of the modern world."

Just as ADHD is considered the troubles of the "new world" and has been treated and looked at differently in recent decades, perhaps it is time we also look at narcissism as a survival mechanism activated in many people in response to life in the 21st century.

As we put more compassion into this equation and reduce judgment, perhaps even the threshold of violence and aggression that accompanies this all-too-common situation will diminish over time.

• health

• psychology

Tags

• psychology

• Selfie

• Young people

• Society