{"id":51220,"date":"2018-09-17T01:15:33","date_gmt":"2018-09-17T01:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/127.0.0.1\/aee\/aee-1018-are-americans-narcissistic\/"},"modified":"2023-04-25T15:47:15","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T15:47:15","slug":"aee-1018-are-americans-narcissistic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allearsenglish.com\/aee-1018-are-americans-narcissistic\/","title":{"rendered":"AEE 1018: Are Americans Narcissistic?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"personality<\/p>\n

Have you ever heard of somebody being referred to as a narcissist?<\/p>\n

What does this word mean to you? Do you think that people who grow up in American culture are more likely to be narcissistic?<\/span><\/p>\n

Today we\u2019ll reference a book review from the NY Times<\/a>. The article reviews a new book called Selfie: How We Became so Self-Obsessed and What It\u2019s Doing to Us\u201d by Will Storr.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you have ever heard about this concept of self-obsessions and narcissism and wondered how to discuss it in English we\u2019ll give you some answers.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll talk about narcissism, cultural differences, and what this means for working across cultures. You\u2019ll also build language tools to discuss a topic like this with your native speaker friends in English.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Understanding What Narcissism Is All About<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s individual and collective narcissism, and both of them can be less than flattering traits or classifications.<\/span><\/p>\n

Individual narcissism is somebody who is self absorbed who almost demands attention or the spotlight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Collective narcissism is more about a group, such as Americans in this case.<\/span><\/p>\n

Neither are positive and may be viewed as stereotypes or hurtful comments.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

These people and groups do exist however, and you want to try your best to understand them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Breaking Down the Stereotype<\/strong><\/p>\n

So are Americans narcissists overall?<\/p>\n

There is an interview with author Will Storr who wrote a book called  \u201c<\/span>Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It\u2019s Doing to Us\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

He says the West in general is more individualistic  which has pros and cons. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s good to be positive about goals and dreams, but we generally think everything has to do with us more than it actually does.<\/span><\/p>\n

There was a study done where East Asian and Western people were put in a lab with a fish tank.<\/span><\/p>\n

One fish was isolated and was positioned ahead of the group. When they asked the people from a Western culture about the isolated fish they said he or she was the leader. In contrast, when they asked East Asian participants they said that the isolated fish was at a disadvantage because they were not part of the group.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can This Mindset Be Changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you born a narcissist or always one?<\/p>\n

Not necessarily, and so the study continues on with this thinking and eliciting change.<\/p>\n

One of the most interesting parts is the end where Storr gives advice:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

If you want to be happy and find fulfillment, don\u2019t try to be Beyonc\u00e9 or Elon Musk; instead, find the thing you\u2019re good at and become even better at it, and try to help the people around you as much as possible. It\u2019s really that simple.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This makes sense because Americans do have this ideal and put a lot of pressure on themselves to be the best. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Few Phrases and Further Explanation<\/b><\/p>\n

If you are struggling with the word narcissist specifically then you may want to use another related phrase.<\/p>\n

In essence, this is all about making your own happiness the only focus.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all about being self centered and seeing the world around you only through your eyes.<\/p>\n

Here are a few phrases that can help you to further understand or explain narcissism:<\/p>\n