American culture
has for years been seen as shallow, hedonistic, and narcissistic. This has been especially true within recent
years, with many within our country and around the world decrying what is seen
as our self-absorbed attitude. In The
Culture of Narcissism, Christohper Lasch defines the narcissism of American
society not as self-absorption, but a form of self-loathing stemming from a
lack of a sense of history and rooted in the decline in the family. He chronicles how this has resulted in a form
of dependency on outside forces and life becoming theater. Written in 1979, Lasch seems to be the
godfather of modern social critique. His
ultimate message, in my opinion, is that thought has an important, if not
singular, impact on life.
In
the book, Lasch compares modern American culture to the psychological disorder
of pathological Narcissism, asserting that the character traits associated with
it “in less extreme form appear in the everyday life of our age” (Lasch,
1979). This narcissism is not a form of
selfishness or inordinate self-love, it is a seeking for meaning in life
(Lasch, 1979). The search is in vain,
however, since the narcissist is in a state of constant yearning. Psychology describes narcissistic personality
disorder as one possessing a grandiose sense of self-importance (Widiger,
2000). Traits include the seeking
“excessive admiration from others” and fantasizing about limitless success and
power (Widiger, 2000). Again sourcing psychology, Lasch discusses to the
development of narcissism from the infant experience to put his theory in
context.
Lasch sites Freud’s description of narcissism
beginning in infancy, in which the infant is unable to distinguish his
existence from its mother. This results in the infant confusing dependence on
its mother with its own omnipotence (Lasch, 1979). Over time, the infant comes to separate
itself from its surroundings, which results in frustration. The narcissist develops the aforementioned
traits as well as others as a way to cope with the frustration and/or regain
that sense of omnipotence from infancy (Lasch, 1979). Observing a parallel between these behaviors
and the behavior of modern American society, Lasch sees a culture suffering
from a kind of self-hatred.
Connected
to this self-hatred is modern culture’s declining sense of historical
time. Of particular note is loss of the
feeling of being part of a continuation of generations (Lasch, 1979). The past,
in the narcissistic mind and contemporary American thought, is of no importance
The primary concern today is to “live in the now”, since not only the past
unimportant, but the future is uncertain. According to Lasch, the prevailing
notion of society not having a future “…incorporates a narcissistic
inability…to feel oneself part of a historical stream…”(Lasch, 1979). This view of the world, then, contends not
only is there no reason to live for one’s ancestors given the unimportance of
the past, there is no reason to live for those to come (Lasch, 1979). Lasch exemplifies this in his discussion of
the pervading fear of aging and death (in particular, the aversion to old age)
describing attempts at staving off the process such as the urging of couples to
postpone or forgo parenting, taking early retirement, and medical efforts to
lengthen people’s lifespan.
At
the heart of the rise of the narcissistic nature in our society is the
breakdown of the family (Lasch, 1979).
Lasch attributes this to the modern capitalistic structure, which has
shifted the worker from being a producer to being a consumer and made work
duties routine. This created a need for
a people “educated” in “the culture of consumption (Lasch, 1979). Over time,
this “education” became the job of mass media, schools, psychologists,
government agencies, and other entities (Lasch, 1979). Given this, parents are no longer parents,
and the tensions between men and women are exacerbated. This phenomenon culminates in society’s
dependency on entities outside of the self to deal with the problems of
everyday life.
Lasch
chronicles this dependency at every stage, beginning with childhood and
parenting. He describes a school system
focused on inculcating life skills, as seen in the introduction of such courses
as health, physical education, and vocational skills on the K-12 level and
“multiversities”providing not only an academic education, but a variety of
enterprises (Lasch, 1979). Marriage
counselors, family therapists, and social workers now serve as the resources to
turn to. Even in the most important area
of the family relationship-parental imposition of boundaries on the child-these
entities are there to take on the task once belonging to the parent (Lasch,
1979). This reliance on others
continues as the child develops and enters the work force.
The environment of
the workplace, Lasch illustrates in his discussion of the “Changing Modes of
Making it” is one in which the way to the top is for one to have a good image
(Lasch, 1979). It is a competition in
which how one is perceived means more than how one performs (Lasch, 1979). Company loyalty is nonexistent; given anyone
who wants to “make it” can use it to achieve his goals (Lasch, 1979). Lasch goes on to devote a good deal of the
book to how this behavior has become a part of interpersonal relationships.
His description of
modern society in his discussion of “The Art of Social Survival” is one in
which personal interaction, like the aforementioned workforce, is a
competition. Emotional connection gives
way to appearing personable. Personality is “sold” in the same way as tangible
goods (Lasch, 1979). This trivialization
of relationships, he contends, is rooted in narcissistic need to avoid feelings.
Of note is his account of contemporary male-female relations.
Democracy
and feminism, according to Lasch, have “stripped the courtly convention of the
subordination of women”. As a result,
womanhood is “demystified” along with sex itself (Lasch, 1979). This, along with the aforementioned
narcissistic lack of feeling and competitive nature saturating contemporary
thought, sex as an end in itself has become permissible, even encouraged, as
“liberation”. One quote says it all-“It
is symptomatic of the underlying tenor of American life that vulgar terms for
sexual intercourse also convey the sense of getting the better of someone,
working him over, taking him in, imposing your will through guile, deception,
or superior force ”To condense Lasch’s discussion of the aforementioned topics
into one phrase, it would be a title he uses in one of the sections of the
book-“The theater of everyday life”.
One
of the telling ideas presented in the book is how in the mind of contemporary
society, there is a feeling that life is a performance. This is made so, it contends, by the
aforementioned prevalence of the narcissistic dependency on presenting an
image, creating a kind self-awareness (Lasch, 1979). Even sport, which Lasch promotes as
legitimate source of escape from the routine of work life, has become little
more than entertainment. One look at
American culture today reveals a multitude of examples of Lasch’s description
of a narcissistic society.
The
power of The Culture of Narcissism is the fact that despite being published in
1979, it speaks directly to 21st Century culture. “Reality T.V.”, celebrity obsession,
self-help books, and psychotherapy permeate every aspect of our lives. It makes us take a look at close look at
ourselves as a society, and makes us evaluate what makes us what we are. For
me, it called me to a deeper look at the power of thought..
The
book, to me, was a somewhat difficult read, given its focus on psychological
theory. In my opinion, it talked about a
lot of problems, but did not seem to offer any solutions. However, a recurring theme popped out at me-
the narcissistic personality is rooted in thoughts and perceptions created in
mind, and Lasch’s solutions to deal with the repercussions of its saturation
into our culture-for people to “take the solutions of their problems into their
own hands”-requires a restructuring of the mind. From a psychological perspective, treatments
for personality disorders such as narcissism include techniques that alter
one’s perceptions and assumptions about oneself (Widiger, 2000). As I explore this approach to the book, I
find my belief reinforced that how one thinks impacts their life
References
Lasch, C. (1979). The Culture of
Narcissism-American Life in An Age of Diminishing
Expectations.
New York: Norton.
Widiger, T. (2000). Personality
Disorders. Microsoft Encarta.
CD-ROM.
