Group narcissism

The first who began to research such a concept as narcissism and applied it in psychology was Sigmund Freud . Freud formulates the concept of narcissism in the framework of his theory of libido. In his many works, he analyzed this property of character, consisting in excessive narcissism. He covered this issue in more detail in 1914 in his introduction to narcissism . The process of transition of individual narcissism to group was analyzed by the German sociologist and psychologist Erich Fromm . In his works “The Anatomy of Human Destructivity ” and “ Escape from Freedom, ” he concludes that in the process of transition, gender, nation, religion, race, and so on, become objects of narcissistic preference. Thus, the narcissistic energy remains, but it is used in the interests of preserving the group instead of preserving the life of the individual. ^[1] Later, with the development of the theory of social identity, the Polish sociologist Henri Teshfel noted that the desire of people to represent their group better than the others is one of the driving forces of the intra-group bias. So, the search for a positive social identity can lead to collective narcissism . ^[2]

In 1988, Robert Raskin and Howard Terry identified 7 factors of narcissism, including: lust for power, a sense of superiority, exhibitionism , perception of something for granted, vanity , tendencies to exploit other people's resources and self-confidence . Based on these factors, the " Narcissistic Personality Questionnaire " was created. In addition to Raskin and Terry's narcissism factors, the questionnaire is based on the clinical criteria for determining narcissism described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in the third edition (DSM-III). ^[3]

Collective narcissism is seen as the extension of individual narcissism to the social aspects of personality. Collective daffodils can see groups as an extension of themselves and expect everyone to recognize not only their individual greatness, but also the prominence of their groups. It has also been suggested that, especially in collectivist cultures, individual narcissism may stem from the reputation and honor of the groups to which it belongs. ^[four]

On the other hand, E. Fromm and T. Adorno are of the opinion that the narcissistic idealization of a group can also be a strategy to defend a weak and threatened ego. This is what they say about those who demonstrate excessive confidence in the superiority of their group, whether it be a gang, a religious community or a nation, but deep inside doubts the prestige of this group and therefore wants its recognition by others. It is also associated with high private and low public collective self-esteem and a low level of implicit group respect. People can be collective narcissists in relation to any group to which they belong.

We have come to the paradoxical conclusion that narcissism is necessary for the preservation of life and at the same time constitutes a threat to its preservation. The solution to this paradox seems twofold. On the one hand, optimal, not maximum, narcissism serves survival. That is, to a biologically necessary degree, narcissism can be compatible with social cooperation. On the other hand, individual narcissism can turn into a group, and then the race, nation, religion, race and the like take the place of the individual and become objects of narcissistic passion. Thus, the narcissistic energy remains, but it is used in the interests of preserving the group instead of preserving the life of the individual. ^[one]

Group narcissism performs a number of basic functions. The first and main function is to manipulate common values ​​through external appeals. They cement the group from the inside and lead to solidarity. Secondly, narcissism helps all members of the group to feel significant, and therefore gives a feeling of satisfaction. Consequently, the degree of group narcissism corresponds to real dissatisfaction with life. Social classes that have more joys in life are less susceptible to fanaticism (fanaticism is a characteristic feature of group narcissism). And the petty bourgeoisie, infringed in many areas of material and spiritual life, suffers from intolerable emptiness and boredom. ^[five]

Group narcissism proceeds, as is already known, from internal uncertainty in its superiority. Often this leads to aggressive manifestations in the future. Thus, one of the main sources of human aggression is group narcissism. The reason for this is the reaction to the infringement of vital interests. This form of defensive aggressiveness differs from other forms only in enormous intensity. There is an opinion that collective narcissism influences political processes of various scales: from local to global.

Based on the research of Agnieszka Golec de Zavala from Goldsmith College, there is a tendency that collective narcissism can cause hostility between many countries. This is due to the fact that collective daffodils are actively campaigning for retaliatory measures against other countries when they believe that their country has been insulted.

In his work, the president of the St. Petersburg International Criminological Club, Salman Dikaev, discusses the influence of group narcissism on the emergence of crimes of a terrorist nature. In his opinion, the manifestation of an individual's unhealthy love for the group to which he belongs, and in the presence of natural aggressiveness, can lead to terrible consequences. ^[6] In addition, in his book Terror, Terrorism, and Crimes of a Terrorist Character, he points out that Erich Fromm circumvents the question of the reason for the emergence of group narcissism: why is it inherent in one and foreign to others, what is the root cause? According to Dikayev, the answers to these questions can help in a more detailed study of this problem.

The theory of group narcissism was also used by the largest American political psychiatrist Jerrold Post. He revealed a sub-concept of collective narcissism. ^[7] In his work, he noted that collective narcissism is presented as a collection of individual narcissists, and discussed how such relationships arise when a narcissistic charismatic leader addresses narcissistic "hungry" followers. In addition, he noted that Erich Fromm in his analyzes did not indicate such a situation.

• Narcissism
• Sigmund Freud
• Psychology of Personality
• Padded jacket