Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement
    The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement
    The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement

    Written by Jean M. Twenge, PhD and W. Keith Campbell, PhD

    Narrated by Randye Kaye

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.


    Dr. Jean M. Twenge focuses on the pernicious spread of narcissism in today's culture, which has repercussions for every age group and class. Dr. Twenge joins forces with Dr. W. Keith Campbell, a nationally recognized expert on narcissism, to explore this new plague. Together, they provide an eye-opening exposition of the alarming rise of narcissism and its catastrophic effects at every level of society.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 17, 2014
    ISBN9781494572341
    The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement

    More audiobooks from Jean M. Twenge, Ph D

    Related to The Narcissism Epidemic

    Related audiobooks

    Psychology For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Narcissism Epidemic

    3.5/5

    11 ratings7 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      . The Narcissism Epidemic by Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell is a fame seeking little narcissistic tract that merits finishing only if you have already started it, have seen a few facts, and feel a need to see what few might remain. I recommend that no one start on this one.It fails mostly to find a rigorous subject. Although one in twelve people have an episode in their lives that amounts to a narcissistic disorder this book claims not to be interested in them (now it is only one to four in a hundred people who are sociopaths, and that number can sustain in interest in books about them). It is interested in the boyfriend who is self-absorbed and his kind. It can't seem to pin down what it means to have self-esteem, what the faults are of having self-esteem, and how it might be necessary to have some self-esteem to function. It treats some not so evil desires for luxury as pathological; why shouldn't one want one's own bathroom if one can afford it? It reduces family solidarity? The book hops around between anecdote and assertion without following much of a track. It is just barely readable.Yet the authors are full of self-congratulation.Bah, humbug!
    • 1/5
      Another pop psychology book in which the authors repeat themselves in every chapter.
    • 3/5
      According to the authors, the exponential rise of narcissism within the US is yet one more shitty thing that’s origin, according to everything I’ve read lately, can be roughly traced to when I was four. That is, if you’re my age and especially attentive, then between day one and day 2,184 you should have noticed the beginning of the US dollar’s 75% relative devaluation, day one of our dysfunctional healthcare system, the end of “real” baseball, the last time income for the lower 90% actually rose, the dramatic rise in violent crime (until more recently of course), Congress sanctioning tax loopholes for millionaires, pant-less clowns jumping out of vans at your local playground, and the complete displacement of nutritious foods by processed crap at all grocery stores. Also, odds are you’re a narcissist! That’s just swell…I’m one of those who cringes when confronted with ranting about “The Millennials” and I definitely don’t subscribe to any “good old days” pitch, so this book was quite the test. On the one hand, I found it to be an enjoyable read. What I would refer to as the social commentary was reasonable with occasionally hilarious anecdotes. I’m glad that I now know about such gems as the I Want a Famous Face reality TV show, arch artists (eye brow sculptors or whatever), the “unschooling” movement (ie. anti-conformist home schooling) impacting up to 200,000 children, and puppy face-lifts. Wonderful. I was less enamored with the parts that come off like so many How To Confront Disease/Abuse/ADHD/Wrinkles/Windows 7 guidance books. This didn’t seem to be an overwhelming theme, thankfully.What I found more problematic was the relative looseness of supposed scientific or research-based examples that are intended to shore up the authors’ linkage of narcissism to a host of issues. Sometimes there are referenced charts which cover very select issues from select environments during select times. They don’t mesh together as any type of consistent structure throughout, but at least they’re pretty clear graphic accompaniments to some of the text. Then, more frequently, they bring up numerous studies in a classroom or wherever that “show that narcissists are more likely to do this or that than non-narcissists.” They offer no further notes and they frequently fail to mention just how the students or group participants were diagnosed as narcissists (often it’s within one of the author’s classes so I suspect some personal opinions are at play). All bad stuff seems to represent an emergent narcissist nation – You Tube antics, tween followers of Hanna Montana, grade inflation, rampant consumerism, and the mortgage crisis. To high school beatings filmed and displayed online I would say there were plenty of fights in, say, 1952 and as far as proudly broadcasting such things I immediately think of those cop killers Bonnie and Clyde posing with rifles and receiving much fanfare in the thirties. Our current recession is the result of rampant narcissism? What about the dozens of other recessions, “panics,” and depressions caused by arrogant jerk-offs since 1787? Mass availability of credit is a huge issue recently – it allows those who can’t afford certain luxuries to acquire them anyway to enable their narcissistic posturing during the short term. While definitely a growing issue, William Whyte similarly lamented the easy credit that allowed all those suburbanites to purchase gleaming appliances circa 1956. But, as usual, I’m doing a bit of nit-picking. As mentioned, it’s mostly an engaging book. Numerous good points are brought up throughout. I would align my concerns with the authors’ in regards to the beknighting of each and every kid as “special” and I’ve been very recently exposed to a group of college kids that force me to reconsider my abrupt dismissal of all this “The Millenials” stuff. They also offer the great observation that many people in other countries really only understand the US from the standpoint of the media we export – that is, shockingly dismal reality shows and web whores represent all of us! This is obvious I suppose, but I don’t know that I’ve thought about it. It reminds me of when Anna Nicole Smith died. I was in China working with a Lebanese dude who saw the news online. He said, sort of ruefully, “Michael – your Anna Nicole Smith died yesterday.” Assuming he was screwing with me, I promptly responded, “MY Anna Nicole Smith?!?! I don’t f*#cking have any Anna Nicole Smith!!” I now wonder if this guy actually assumed I had some sort of patriotic reverence for that broad. Messed up… I'm proud to admit I had to do a Google search to even remember her name.So basically, an interesting book but one that positions the “narcissism epidemic” as something of a catch-all, catch-phrase for the numerous complex issues recently plaguing our nation.
    • 5/5
      High self-esteem or self-admiration is not helpful despite the misguided programs that teach our kids that if they feel better about themselves, they will do better. The correlation between self-esteem and achievement is the other way around - self-esteem follows achievement. When we build self-esteem without corresponding achievement, we create narcissists, a lot of them.And we all suffer for it.This book outlines the data about narcissists, the growing epidemic of narcissism (or unreasonable and unearned self-admiration) and the problem it is causing in our workplace, our homes and even our churches and ministries. We seek our own good at the expense of others, and we think we deserve more than others. If you read this book, you will become aware of these behaviors in ourselves and others, and maybe it will help us to change, but I think we are, as a society, may be past fighting this epidemic and will reap the consequences. Good read.
    • 4/5
      This is a very important book, and it makes a few really valid points. Ms. Twenge and Mr. Campbell make a great job of connecting the dots on many cultural trends that would otherwise seem unrelated. This is particularly interesting for a non-American reader, since when I see that sort of stuff on TV I never know if what I'm noticing is real, hyperbolic or just irony. So it was really helpful having someone lay out the big picture for me.

      Still, I think this book would be much more compelling if it weren't so repetitive. Now I realize that, when you have a thesis to prove, the border between argumentation and reiteration is a difficult one to walk. I get it - I'm a paranoid nonfiction reader, and I'm hyperaware of that sort of stuff. It's what happens when you're preaching to the choir. But trust me - this one really drags at points.

      Anyway, if you're willing to resort to diagonal reading after the first half of every chapter, you should totally give this a go. As for me, I've made two chilling realizations:

      - I like reading about American bad lifestyles and social tendencies, because deep down I know we are next. That way I'll be able to say I saw it coming.
      - I've wondered for years, how can these people afford the single-family houses they all live in?* The answer is, they can't.



      *I mean, look at the Simpsons. Come on, really??
    • 5/5
      I frankly don't know whether I should despair over the path society is taking, or work to avert the impending disaster wrought by a generation of spoiled princesses and princes. Insightful, well written and well researched, this book looks at the change in attitudes that has resulted in an emerging narcissism epidemic that is serious, even if it is not yet a pandemic. This book made me resolve to try and be a better person, if only to counteract some of the free-floating entitlement in the atmosphere. Sadly, I expect that the very people who should read this book, namely narcissists, will think it's talking about someone else - for once they will think it's not all about them! Recommended.
    • 1/5
      The author keeps on judging the parental behaviors and teens and nothing useful