Narcissism—an inflated view of the self—is everywhere. Public figures say it’s what makes them stray from their wives. Parents teach it by dressing children in T-shirts that say “Princess.” Teenagers and young adults hone it on Facebook, and celebrity newsmakers have elevated it to an art form. And it’s what’s making people depressed, lonely, and buried under piles of debt.

Jean Twenge’s influential first book, Generation Me, spurred a national debate with its depiction of the challenges twenty- and thirty-somethings face in today’s world—and the fallout these issues create for educators and employers. Now, Dr. Twenge turns her focus to the pernicious spread of narcissism in today’s culture, which has repercussions for every age group and class. Dr. Twenge joins forces with W. Keith Campbell, Ph.D., a nationally recognized expert on narcissism, to explore this new plague in The Narcissism Epidemic, their eye-opening exposition of the alarming rise of narcissism and its catastrophic effects at every level of society. Even the world economy has been damaged by risky, unrealistic overconfidence. Drawing on their own extensive research as well as decades of other experts’ studies, Drs. Twenge and Campbell show us how to identify narcissism, minimize the forces that sustain and transmit it, and treat it or manage it where we find it. Filled with arresting, alarming, and even amusing stories of vanity gone off the tracks (would you like to hire your own personal paparazzi?), The Narcissism Epidemic is at once a riveting window into the consequences of narcissism, a prescription to combat the widespread problems it causes, and a probing analysis of the culture at large.

Table of Contents:

  • Section 1: The Diagnosis;
  • Chapter 1: The Many Wonders of Admiring Yourself
  • Chapter 2: The Disease of Excessive Self-Admiration and the Top Five Myths about Narcissism
  • Chapter 3: Isn’t Narcissism Beneficial, Especially in a Competitive World” Challenging Another Myth About Narcissism
  • Chapter 4: How Did We Get Here? Origins of the Epidemic
  • Section 2: Root Causes of the Epidemic
  • Chapter 5: Parenting: Raising Royalty
  • Chapter 6: Superspreaders! The Celebrity and Media Transmission of Narcissism
  • Chapter 7: Look at Me on MySpace: Web 2.0 and the Quest for Attention
  • Chapter 8: I Deserve the Best at 18% APR: Easy Credit and the Repeal of the Reality Principle
  • Section 3: Symptoms of Narcissism;
  • Chapter 9: Hell Yeah, I’m Hot: Vanity
  • Chapter 10: The Spending Explosion and its Impact on the Environment: Materialism
  • Chapter 11: Seven Billion Kinds of Special: Uniqueness
  • Chapter 12: The Quest for Infamy and the Rise of Incivility: Antisocial Behavior
  • Chapter 13: The Chocolate Cake Trap: Relationship Troubles
  • Chapter 14: All Play and No Work: Entitlement
  • Chapter 15: God Didn’t Create You to Be Average: Religion and Volunteering
  • Section 4: Prognosis and Treatment
  • Chapter 16: The Prognosis: How Fra, and for How Long, Will Narcissism Spread?
  • Chapter 17: Treating the Epidemic of Narcissism
  • Notes – PDF
  • Appendices – PDF