Narcissism: Overview : SBS Insight

Overview

Are narcissists born or made? And are there more of them than ever before?

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This week we revisit narcissism: what causes it and when it verges into a serious disorder.

Narcissists have an inflated sense of self, a lack of empathy and can be vain and
materialistic. And they can be incredibly destructive to those around them.

Earlier this year, Insight brought together psychiatrists, workplace psychologists
and parents to discuss whether narcissists are born or made.

In this week’s replay, we look at the whole spectrum – from those obsessed with
their Facebook pages, to those whose lives have been torn apart by narcissists.

Meet the Guests

Professor W. Keith Campbell

Professor Keith Campbell is the head of Behavioural and Brain Sciences at the University of Georgia and the co-author of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement. His research found that narcissistic tendencies are on the rise in American young people. He attributes this to the rise in individualism, social media and celebrity culture.

Frances Lee

Frances Lee is 21 year old social media addict with her own YouTube channel. She says blogging, Tweeting and Facebooking are just a normal part of life for people her age.

Tim Brunero

Tim Brunero was a contestant on Big Brother in 2005. He believes social media has 'democratised celebrity'.

Dr Ranil Gunewardene

Dr Ranil Gunewardene is the Clinical Director of Mental Health at the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital and Mosman Private Hospital who has seen the destructive path wrought by people diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Those with the disorder often have inflated views of their importance and superiority but their key trait is a lack of empathy. While narcissists may appear successful on the outside, they often have damaging relationships with their partners, children and workmates.

Dr Sophia Xenos

Sophia Xenos is a clinical psychologist and lecturer in the Department of Psychology at RMIT. Sophia co-authored a study looking at who uses Facebook, how they use it and how it relates to personality traits. The study found that Facebook users have higher narcissistic traits than those who are not on the social networking website.

Dr Travis Kemp

Travis is an organisational psychologist who coaches top executives. He sees narcissistic tendencies in 20-30 per cent of his clients. He is currently the Head of Leadership and Coaching in Australia and New Zealand for Lee Hecht Harrison and has previously held regional and global positions as an educator, human resources professional and company director. Travis is the co-author of “Evidence-Based Coaching Volume One: Theory, research and practice from the behavioural sciences.”