Posted by: Uticopa in children on
Mar 01, 2009
In the press recently has been an account of how Julie Myerson, an author mother, wrote the true story of her anguish in ordering her drug-taking son permanently from their home. If nothing else, it shows the huge gulf between the mindsets of parents and their offspring. But, who is at fault: the mother for apparently ‘failing to understand' her son's behaviour and for failing to nurture him no matter what, or the son for his supposedly narcissistic attitude to life? The mental anguish on both sides can lead - if not checked - to bouts of severe depression and even suicide.
Narcissism is the term used by psychologists to define often-disparaged youthful mindsets. We all recognise the syndrome and remember it well from our own youth. There is that inflated self-esteem, imagining yourself to be cleverer or more attractive than everyone else, as you chase that elusive future glory for yourself. Whilst in this syndrome, young people don't want to show that they seek warmth, intimacy and commitment in relationships - that would look weak. They go to great lengths to boost their value in the eyes of others by ‘me, me, me' attention-seeking, taking credit where it's not due, courting high-status trophy partners and friends, and constantly chasing public acclamation.
Although complaints about ‘today's youth' have been recorded in history ever since the beginning of time, recent studies have shown that there is a definite rise in narcissism this century. Arguably, the advantages are that narcissists tend to report high self-esteem, happiness and life-satisfaction. They are also often likeable, are good at performing in social situations, tend to win in brief competitive tasks and will put themselves forward as leaders (though they do not tend to make good ones in the long term).
