I started this blog thinking that I was going to write about empaths and the pros and cons of being one vs. being a narcissist, but I decided against it because I don’t have the emotional bandwidth at this time to delve deeply into that subject. Stick with me, and I’ll tell you why and the alternate route I’ve decided to take. You see, I think I am an empath and right now, I am experiencing an emotional overload about the state of the world, and my place in it. That led me to wonder what other people are feeling, what they need, and how we can, as fellow humans, help. As an empath, my desire to ease the burden and discomfort others may be experiencing is paramount, but I recognize that no one can do so alone. Accomplishing such task could be better met with a community of supporters. Before proceeding to my vision, let’s at least define who an empath and a narcissist is.
An Empath
According to psychiatrist Dr. Judith Orloff, author of the Empath’s Survival Guide, “The trademark of empaths is feeling and absorbing other people’s emotions and, or, physical symptoms because of their high sensitivities.” We empaths feel deeply, so we absorb the good and bad of our environment which can create sensory overload.
A Narcissist
On the other hand, a narcissist is an individual who lacks empathy. In today’s world, it does seem like there is a general lack of empathy and narcissists are winning. Divisiveness, aggression, and bullying appear to be prevalent and dominant in workplaces, schools, and the society at large all over the world. It therefore begs the question: Is there a narcissism epidemic going on?
Well, from their research, psychologists Jean Twenge and W. Keith Campbell, seem to think so. In their book The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement they’ve declared that when they did a study in the US, the finding showed that “…narcissism was increasing substantially among a nationwide sample of college students. We compared that effect to the obesity epidemic, and we found that the rise in narcissism was just as big as the rise in obesity in adults. That got us thinking: If obesity is an epidemic, then we may have an epidemic of narcissism on our hands. This past summer [a study of] a nationally representative sample of 35,000 Americans found that 6 percent of Americans, or 1 out of 16, had experienced [clinical narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)] at some point in their lives. And there was a big generational effect. You'd expect that people who are older would have a higher percentage of having experienced this because they've lived so many more years. But only 3 percent of people over 65 had had any experience with NPD, compared with almost 10 percent of people in their 20s. Given that you can only diagnose this when someone is 18, that's a pretty short number of years in which to have this experience. That was another pretty big indication that this was an out-of-control epidemic.”
This research by Twenge and Campbell corroborates my feeling that something is “off” in our world, and I yearn for stimuli that will produce joy and happiness around me. I am curious to know how other empaths around the world are feeling. Do you think there is an epidemic of narcissism in your country? With that being said, I’d love empaths from around the world to come together and form a community. It would be interesting to know how you are feeling, what your needs are, and if there are needs, how we as a community of empaths can support your needs. Let’s get this empath community to at least 1 million strong, supporting each other along the way, while promoting acts of humanity, kindness, and human dignity.
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