“I was born of the Hebrew persuasion, but I converted to narcissism.” This whimsical quip was said by Woody Allen when asked of his religious persuasion in the movie, Scoop. While this may not be his actual position on the matter, it does highlight an interesting thought. Have we converted to narcissism?
According to the Mayo Clinic, narcissism is defined as “a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others.” This is a very general definition, and we need to be careful about marking people with a big red “N.” It has become increasingly popular to label people as narcissists because of their excessive focus on self and unbecoming character traits. There are a lot of people out there who qualify for what is called “subclinical narcissism.” That is the person who loves talking about themselves and is very self-absorbed but still able to function in society.
The danger is undo focus on self. We are living in a time when it is very easy to get caught up in self and self-promotion. Some have dubbed this the “selfie” generation. To be fair, no one generation is free from this temptation. What would you post on Facebook if you could no longer tell us how awesome your life is or share with us a picture of what you had for lunch? While these are not signs of a psychological problem, we need to be aware of where our focus is.
As we contemplate the virtue of selflessness, consider this passage, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:3-8). We are given the instruction to look at others as more important than self. The example we are given is Christ, who gave the ultimate sacrifice of self for everyone. All these things were done “to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:11). We are to live in such a way that God is glorified and not ourselves (Matt. 5:16).
As we look at social media and our profiles, consider what you are promoting. It is unlikely that you are a narcissist, but we need to be careful that we have not been converted to a devotion to self and convenience instead of devotion to God.