Narcissism Epidemic USA?
By CraftyCorner
@CraftyCorner (5600)
United States
April 23, 2009 12:17pm CST
Do you think that the USA and Americans as a country and people have a Narcissism Epidemic on their hands? Could that be partly the cause of the economic troubles that have fumbled our governmental and personal finances in general?
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Authors Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith wrote a book about narcissism as a major malady of American citizenry. They think that many Americans have mild to severe narcissistic personality disorder.
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Mild narcissistic personality issues lead sufferers to think "I believe that the world should revolve around me!" Thus people do things like buy on impulse, landing in debt. Everything from fancy shoes to high dollar houses they cannot afford go on credit
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In extreme cases, narcissistic personality disorder can lead to aggression, materialism and shallow values.
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Certainly, America has it's ruthless penny savers who are modest of dress and possessions.
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There is another factor, a darker factor to this seemingly narcissistic behavior. Credit was at one time very easy to get, the terms very difficult to understand. Those terms hid in very tiny print by the ream. Then we had Wall Street that practiced fraud in almost every piece of paper that got spat out a printer or hid in a hard drive.
1 response
@shell2784 (752)
• United States
23 Apr 09
I definitly think the USA has fallen into the hands of narcissism.
Everyone thinks everything is all about them, whether its people talking or they just got a bonus at work what can they do to show everyone that they are number one. Everyone thinks they're better than everyone else and everyone anymore thinks that wealth is the only form of power.
I dated an EXTREMELY narcissistic person and it is not fun! At all!
But yes. The only reason that the economy is in the state its in is because everyone wants to know what they can get their hands on and what kind of good payments can you get for that stuff. The guy that I'm getting married to now is guilty of this. We can, however, afford the payments that are coming along with the stuff... but when him and I started dating he had a $20K credit card bill, $10K bill for a 4wheeler, $6K for a dirtbike, PLUS whatever other small charge cards and what not there were to pay. With careful budgeting I got most of them paid down quite a bit.
Years ago you had to work and save up for what you wanted. Anymroe its too easy to finance everything under the sun. And people thought "hey, this cmputer is worth $50 amonth, this dirt bike is a good deal at $80 a month. WOW! A Lexus for $400 a month!, Ooh, look at this livingroom suite! I can pay $100 a month on it for the next lifetime! that's not bad" and it just kept wracking up. Now the banks are crying because no one has anymore room to charge stuff and no room to pay for what they all ready charged. I say we go back to the old days a step or two. Open a savings account and buy your crap the way it should be bought... with CASH! Then maybe people will appreciate the stuff they do have more!
1 person likes this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
24 Apr 09
I've scorned the credit card, although I do keep a debit card for safety purpose. It simply isn't safe to go cash and carry with large sums. I get new clothes when my mother threatens or actually does 'kidnap' clothes I get 'attached' to. She complains that my clothes can get a little grubby as I hang on to things well past their prime...I'm talking about holes and there have been stories passed around in this family about clothes that unraveled on my ahem. (I loathe shopping!) I am editing some of the more colorful language for the more tender MyLot readers!
I do know my way around a thrift store, a habit that I got from Stepfather. I will not however buy underpants there as...um eww. Bras, I need industrial strength for them 'girls', so I need new when I shop for them too. Socks can't be found there either, why I don't know. The wear and tear on my socks might explain it, socks don't always last past one owner. I also find 'new lives' for socks with excessive 'air conditioning'. By the time they hit the rubbish bin, they are literally threads.
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One place where I DO splurge is on my computers. Still, there can be economic dross cut there. Learning as much as you can about your own repairs & such can save you serious cash.
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Teens need education on what a dollar is, how it is made, and how it is spent wisely.
I do know my way around a thrift store, a habit that I got from Stepfather. I will not however buy underpants there as...um eww. Bras, I need industrial strength for them 'girls', so I need new when I shop for them too. Socks can't be found there either, why I don't know. The wear and tear on my socks might explain it, socks don't always last past one owner. I also find 'new lives' for socks with excessive 'air conditioning'. By the time they hit the rubbish bin, they are literally threads.
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One place where I DO splurge is on my computers. Still, there can be economic dross cut there. Learning as much as you can about your own repairs & such can save you serious cash.
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Teens need education on what a dollar is, how it is made, and how it is spent wisely.@shell2784 (752)
• United States
11 Jan 10
I agree with you completely. I will admit however, that I don't go to Goodwill/Salvation Army as such as often as I used to... so I guess I kind of spoiled myself... and my husband and I are most definitly guilty of charge cards and everything... and his parents really taught him to spend spend spend - so we have to limit here and there. But I found anymore, with the prices at Goodwill rising, I can find better deals on clearance racks at Penny's, Sears, Targets, Old navy's etc. I buy my bras when they're buy one get one free or whatever at Fashion Bug, blah blah blah.
But I also say that the government isn't helping anything. If banks screwed themselves, then why should the government bail them out? And why is it only the big companies that get these bailouts? You mean millions of Americans can lose their homes but a bank or car company got too greedy so the good ol' gov just hands them a big fat check and says "here, this should help!" What about all of us? And even still... we made our bed, now we should lie in it. That might be really harsh and my heart def goes out to those families that are hurting... but still. Our nation is what, like 32 TRILLION dollars in debt? If they can't spend wisely... then how do they expect their people (us) to do so?Its bad examples all around of greed and stuff and want and whatever.
I really wish our Country would take a few steps back to the good ol' days. Let me pay cash for my couch, I DON'T need a $400 purse and let me spank my kids! haha Things ran a lot better back then!
1 person likes this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
28 Feb 10
AMEN!
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I went to Goodwill a few days ago and got three pairs of sweat pants for $10. They were having a sale. They have competition here, there's a thrift store on every block. Unfortionately, for bras and undies, I have to go to a regular store as I am a hard size to fit, and undies, other peoples, EWW. Socks? I bought a set of 6 pair of boy's cushioned ankles for $5. Women's are a real serious rip off! My sin is computer gear. But I get good deals online and do some of my own computer repair.
