Is there an epidemic of narcissism today?

[iverglas]

4. that all seems to be a bit of a mishmash (edited)

I admit to not having clicked, but was any thought at all given to the pressures on girls and women that consist of pressure to conform to an idealized/stereotyped image?

Plastic surgery, for instance, would seem to me to be as often an expression of profound insecurity as an expression of exaggerated self-love.

I think the author is playing a bit fast and loose with the terms. Personality disorders aren't just unpleasant personality traits. Narcissism is exaggerated self-love and self-absorption. Narcissistic personality disorder centres on the individual's disregard for others; it is the least severe on the continuum that goes through antisocial personality disorder and up to psychopathy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malignant_narcissism#Spectrum_of_pathological_narcissism_and_psychopathy

Kernberg believed that malignant narcissism should be considered part of a spectrum of pathological narcissism, which he saw as ranging from the Cleckley's antisocial character (today's psychopath or antisocial personality) at the high end of severity, through malignant narcissism, and then to narcissistic personality disorder at the low end.[7] The malignant narcissist thus represents a less extreme form of pathological narcissism than psychopathy. Individuals with narcissistic personality disorder, malignant narcissism, and psychopathy all display similar traits which are outlined in the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. (The traits in the checklist are common amongst individuals with psychological disorders. The psychopath/malignant narcissist must display a strong tendency towards these characteristics.)

I think I'd tend to diagnose the Facebook denizens and their cool stuff as shallow, rather than tending toward NPD.
(Oops; NDP is the party I vote for.)


edit - I think the Mayo list of traits associated with the disorder are too non-specific, and they really aren't valid for a diagnosis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_Psychopathy_Checklist

The two factors
<Factor 1 is labelled "selfish, callous and remorseless use of others". Factor 2 is labelled as "chronically unstable, antisocial and socially deviant lifestyle".>

Factor 1: Personality "Aggressive narcissism"

Glibness/superficial charm
Grandiose sense of self-worth
Pathological lying
Cunning/manipulative
Lack of remorse or guilt
Shallow affect (genuine emotion is short-lived and egocentric)
Callousness; lack of empathy
Failure to accept responsibility for own actions

Factor 2: Case history "Socially deviant lifestyle".

Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
Parasitic lifestyle
Poor behavioral control
Lack of realistic long-term goals
Impulsivity
Irresponsibility
Juvenile delinquency
Early behavior problems
Revocation of conditional release

Traits not correlated with either factor

Promiscuous sexual behavior
Many short-term marital relationships
Criminal versatility
Acquired behavioural sociopathy/sociological conditioning (Item 21: a newly identified trait i.e. a person relying on sociological strategies and tricks to deceive)