The Narcissism Epidemic

Narcissism is on the rise among individuals and in American culture.

Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, the author of Generation Me, and co-author of The Narcissism Epidemic. See full bio

September 18, 2009

Incivility -- or narcissism?

Everyone is talking about incivility these days. Congressman Joe Wilson yells, "You lie!" during the President's address to Congress. Serena Williams volunteers to shove a ball into the body part of a (unpaid volunteer) line judge. And most egregious of all, Kanye West cuts short the acceptance speech of a young singer to declare his opinion that someone else should have won. Read More

June 16, 2009

The "normal" narcissism of reality TV

Reality TV has spun out of control lately. Read More

June 3, 2009

Why confidence isn't all it's cracked up to be

Barbara Walters' wonderfully dishy memoir, just out in paperback, is titled "Audition." Why? "No matter how high my profile became, how many awards I received, or how much money I made, my fear was that it could all be taken away from me," she wrote. "I have ... Read More

May 8, 2009

Is there an epidemic of narcissism today?

With a new book called The Narcissism Epidemic, the first and most obvious question is, "How do you know there's an epidemic?" The evidence comes in two forms: Changes among individuals, and changes in the culture. Read More

Books by Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D.

The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement

Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before

Personality Basics

Questions of personality have vexed mankind from the dawn of personhood: can people change? How do others perceive me? What is the difference between normal and pathological behavior? One's personality is so pervasive and all-important that it presents a clinical paradox of sorts: it is hard to assess our own personality, impossible to overlook that of others.

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