XPost: alt.psychology, alt.psychology.psychoanalysis, alt.psychology.jung XPost: sci.psychology.psychotherapy

"Refutation of the natural narcissistic spectrum"

Although narcissism is denoted a spectrum disorder, it doesn't mean that
all people can be placed on a narcissistic scale. Rather, it means that
those who suffer from the disease can be mildly or seriously affected.
Autism is also regarded a spectrum disorder. But it doesn't mean that
all people are autistic to a degree. Yet, according to a heavily
popularized theory, narcissism is a trait-based disorder that must be understood as merely a pathological amplification of narcissistic traits present in everybody. It means that all people are narcissistic to a
degree.

Characteristic of narcissism is a sense of grandiosity. Yet, all people
do *not* experience excessive feelings of self-importance "to a
different degree". Either you have inadequate feelings of
self-importance or not. If you don't, then you are not narcissistic.
Another example is that narcissists tend to react to criticism with
rage, since they feel humiliated. Yet, many people do not feel
humiliated, but are grateful for constructive critique, especially when
it concerns an intellectual or artistic product.

Narcissists get a kick out of attention and admiration. In
contradistinction, many people do not at all appreciate admiration. For instance, a scientist is happy when his theory receives attention. On
the other hand, it is quite common that scientists dislike admiration
for their person, so much so that they shy away from publicity.
Moreover, narcissists readily take advantage of other people to achieve
their own goals. This is unthinkable to many people. Personally, I would
be capable of punching a person in the face, but I could not steal his
work.

So, how do we account for this? How come some people lack a sense of grandiosity, and how can they experience the *opposite* feelings when
they receive admiration for their person? How come they are pleased when somebody criticizes their work? Evidently, the person in question is
thereby taken seriously, since he/she is being treated as an adult
independent thinker, artist, or whatever, and will likely benefit from
the critique.

The theory of omnipresent narcissism rules out that people can have the opposite feelings. On this view, when a person receives admiration,
he/she must at least experience a tiny gratificatory feeling. When faced
with critique, he/she must at least get a little humiliated and angry.
Since this is not the case, there are people who cannot be placed on the narcissistic scale. The conclusion is that the theory of ubiquitous
narcissism is wrong. Since we know that many people feel awkward when
receiving admiration as a person, the theory collapses. This is called *empiricism*, and it is an indisputable principle practiced in the hard sciences. As soon as a theory confronts an empirical fact that
contradicts the theory, the theory collapses. http://mlwi.magix.net/groupnarc.htm

Mats Winther
http://two-paths.com

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