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Has anyone seen Aish’s article by Rabbi Benjamin Blech about selfies and narcissism? What are your thoughts? Do you think that more people today are narcissists than in previous generations???
I haven’t seen the article, but absolutely believe we are a much more narcissistic generation. We are a generation of entitlement, across the board (meaning, not necessarily the frum velt), where people feel they deserve a handout from the government, for doing absolutely nothing in return. We are selfish, and self-absorbed, and out for number one.
That said – I also believe that despite some possessing this flaw, the Jewish people as a whole, and frum people in particular, are the MOST concerned with others’ welfare, with doing chessed, giving tzedaka (because it is the righteous thing to do and not merely charity), and volunteering for hatzalah, chaverim, bikur cholim, more per capita, than any other group of people worldwide.
There is nothing wrong with loving oneself, as long as it does not hurt others, and is not to excess. There is a Tzelem Elokim in all of us, and it SHOULD be loved.
Streek
We live in a very selfish world and yes many psychologists have noticed that many teens today are narcissistic. We live in a crazy world and the only way to maintain a certain level of sanity is to immerse yourself in Torah and try to block out the goyish velt as much as possible.
streekgeek
Not clear what your last comment is relevant to.
We are bred woth narcissism. It even made its way into the current Hashkafa. It shaped the tone of many inspiration speeches of our day.
HaLeivi?
Gadlus haadam isnt narcissism.
Narcissism is not the concept of of Otherizing. It is a classless obcession with oneself.
If you are going classify all related Midos together in one stitch you are left with exactly one Mida.
WIY, to paraphrase a narcissist: If you like your speeches you can keep them.
Streek
I didnt read the article. However the point is that today the youth is narcissistic as a whole. This has never been before in history. That so many people at so young an age should be so narcissistic.
The book iDisorder talks about how the Internet makes people more self-centered and how that leads to various mental illnesses. Great book and you can get it used on Amazon very cheaply.
An internet meme that recently made its way around social media portrayed a subway car circa 1920s filled with people deeply absorbed in their newspapers.
It read something like, “new technology causing people to become antisocial.”
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Self-centeredness is nothing new; it just found a new platform.
So narcissism = self centered = anti social = mean = inconsiderate = OCD?
the original selfie: sitting for weeks to have a ten-foot portrait of yourself made to hang in your hallway
Of course, selfishness and narcissism is not new. What’s new is the ubiquity of technology which helps foster it.
Even those who embrace the use of technology have noted the negative social effect.
Whether we deal with this by disengaging from use of technology or by limiting its use, we should at least acknowledge the problem so that we can deal with it.
Haleivi- where did you get OCD from? It has nothing to do with anything!
A narcissist is someone who clicks on a thread only to read what he wrote himself.
Also, formerly self-portraits were limited to the very wealthy. Now everyone can do it all the time.
People who take selfies are more narcissistic than people who don’t.
I didn’t read the article, but Rabbi Frand had an excellent video on the ubiquity of narcissism given at Sinai Indaba. It was posted on YWN.
fkelly, I figured it gets thrown into every category anyhow. If I’d believe all the diagnosis in the Heimishe papers I would have Asperger’s, ADD and schizophrenia.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself
but rather, thinking of yourself less
Rule of thumb, don’t believe anything you read in Heimishe papers.
BEST article 🙂 totally agree with it.
streekgeek
All the psychologists are saying theres more narcissism. You dont have to agree. Especially since you are nogeia because you take selfies.
Read up on it. Also they are older than you and remember how things used to be. Anyone over 25 or so also remebers how things and people used to be.
You can snapchat without selfies Streetgeek. I do it.
you rested your case but I am not sure you bought the whole jury 🙂
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