Collective narcissism

Group narcissism is named after the German psychoanalyst, philosopher and social psychologist Erich Fromm, the transmission of their own narcissism of a person to a social group, the nation, at a church ( religious narcissism ), etc. The affected persons claiming, for example, their nation is the best among all nations. They see only the positive aspects of their own nation / religion / ..., where they recognize only negative for others ( when narcissism is such thinking applies to oneself ). This could Communities are formed in which self-esteem is too high. Just the least respected members, economically and culturally poor, erführen in the narcissistic pride high satisfaction. To compensate for the dissatisfaction of a society in which a large part is only insufficiently supplied, it must be helped to a malignant narcissistic gratification.

When group narcissism, the object is not the individual but the group to which it belongs, so he can be brought, for example, in the form of patriotism, faith and loyalty to the uninhibited expression. Through appeals to narcissistic prejudices the solidarity and internal cohesion of the group is encouraged and simultaneously facilitates their manipulation. Since it is shared by many members, it gives the impression to convey realistic and reasonable value judgments. A so found consensus includes Fromm, the possibility fantasies in (apparent) realities to transform.

Fromm refers to the group narcissism as one of the most important conditions for the preparation of a war and sees his cause in the form of today's society, " which isolation and hostility among people " and thus promotes both narcissism and the group narcissism. However, he sees in him the chance if it were possible to extend the Gruppenarzissmus to the entire humanity, " if the individual is experiencing primarily as citizens of the world and if he could be proud of humanity and its achievements " that this to the way a " Neo - humanism " could pave.