Narcissism Epidemic

Pathological narcissism is a pattern of traits and behaviors, which signify obsession with the self often to the exclusion of all others, and the ruthless pursuit of self-gratification, dominance and ambition. Person’s astral body, which is often referred to as our soul, is dominated by the superego.

There are many individuals who sincerely follow a spiritual path that are genuine and sincere and work consistently to evolve and to be more aware and better human beings. Their purpose of learning to love themselves is to reach their full potential in harmony with all creation. However, in same cases there are individuals who exhibit narcissistic thoughts that they are spiritually advanced beings and that because of that they are entitled to attention and love. Spiritual narcissism creates the pretense of holiness as an ego strategy to mask insecurity, receive approval, or avoid struggle and growth.

Our ego-self may need to impress, dominate or control and sees others as either threats or tools. There is nothing inherently wrong with our ego creation, it is a necessary structure put in place so that we can evolve in physical reality. Our true-self, however, which is often referred to as our spirit, is in constant connection with the others. It sees others as fellow spirits with equally needed purposes, and has compassion for the suffering that comes from the ego-self’s attachment to things. A self-development path help us to loosen the grip of the ego-self and to connect to the true-self, so that we can live purposefully, be of service and participate in love.

In “Spiritual Seeking, Narcissism, and Psychotherapy: How Are They Related?” study Wink, Dillon and Fay describe:

“Narcissism, is a complex concept. In popular usage following the destructive fate that befell the mythological Narcissus, it is customary to think of narcissism in negative terms. Yet in the clinical literature, narcissism is evaluated in a more differentiated way. Construed broadly as self-investment, narcissism constitutes one of two fundamental personality constellations. What clinicians refer to as psychologically “healthy” or “normal” narcissistic processes include creativity, wisdom, and empathy that express a robust and autonomous level of self-investment.

Pathological or unhealthy narcissistic processes include an exaggerated self-entitlement, exploitativeness, and grandiosity. Among the pathological forms, overt or “willful” narcissism is characterized by external grandiosity and exhibitionism, and covert or “hypersensitive” narcissism is characterized by resentment, depletion, lack of well-being, and relational problems due to the individual’s covert sense of entitlement and grandeur.

The contrasting personality type to narcissism is other-directedness, which ranges from a psychologically healthy emphasis on maintaining warm and unconflicted relations with others and upholding rules of social conduct, to a less psychologically healthy overdependence on others, repression of needs, and bland conventionality.

Among the three types of narcissism, hypersensitive narcissism crystallizes that evoked by Bellah et al., who discuss individuals whose relationships are primarily based on therapeutic self-interests and feelings. They use others to mask and hide from their own fragmented (or empty) self. Hypersensitive narcissists also display the despair, fragility, and the search for deliverance from self-pain portrayed as characterizing spiritual seekers. Hypersensitive narcissists, moreover, unlike their willful (overtly grandiose) counterparts, tend to be introverted and, therefore, may opt for privatized solutions to their problems that involve a reliance on psychotherapy and/or spirituality.

Healthy or autonomous narcissism is different. It, too, focuses on the self but the self-investment does not derive from vulnerability but from an openness to new experiences and an interest in personal growth. The self-seeking is driven by a quest to discover new aspects of the self and, especially in mid-life, to integrate different aspects of the self rather than deliver the self from despair. For autonomous narcissists, then, recourse to spirituality would be an outgrowth of their self-exploration and self-realization. “

They concluded that spirituality is associated with a healthy form of narcissism characterized by personal autonomy and with concern for the welfare of future generations. Also, they noted that psychotherapy in middle adulthood mediated the relation between healthy narcissism in early adulthood and spirituality in late adulthood.

Unhealthy narcissistic behavior has increased dramatically during the past century. It continues to proliferate at an alarming rate. We are in the midst of a “narcissism epidemic” concluded psychologists Jean M. Twnege and W. Keith Campbell in their 2009 book. One study they describe showed that among a group of 37,000 college students, unhealthy narcissistic personality traits rose just as quickly as obesity from the 1980s to the present. Pathological narcissists seek control and many occupy positions of influence and power, and are not concerned whatsoever with humanity’s survival. The complication of narcissistic behavior is worldwide and one which humankind will have to address. Unhealthy narcissists do not heal even after death, as their super-egos continue dominating their astral bodies.

Reiki seminars and energy sessions are very helpful in releasing emotional traumas caused by relationships with pathological narcissists, but may not be helpful to the actual unhealthy narcissist who decided that he or she is absolutely perfect in every sense, already knows everything and does not need any self-development. DivineYu seminars help students to greatly reduce influence of their ego-selves and improve connections with their true-selves.