Collective Traumas Can Lead to Collective Narcissism

In America and Around the World, Narcissism is Winning

Photo by roya ann miller on Unsplash

As a nation, we have suffered many collective trauma. When we all woke to the horror of images on the screen of the planes flying into the World Trade Center Towers on September 11am 2001 as we sipped our coffee and tried to process what our eyes we seeing but our minds could not imagine.

With every school shooring or mass murder event, we solemnly watch as little bodies go into the ground and inconsolable mothers and fathers grieve with an intensity that tears at our hearts. Such loss is impossible to imagine.

Think of it this way. . . the narcissist is created by early abuse and by a “dead mother” figure who was so impaired that they could not relate to their child in healthy ways that helped them successfully gain what they need through each developmental stage that allows them to have empathy, experience and give love, feel remorse, take accountability, or attach to other human beings. Narcissism often takes place when people have unmet needs and desire to experience those expressions of love and receive validation.

Now, think of a culture that has experienced collective traumas together. They are continually exploited and abused in much the same way as the young narcissist. Their own…