It’s all about me: the rise of narcissism

The rise of narcissism is affecting us all - and not always in a good way.

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19th May, 2012

When Jean Twenge’s five-year-old daughter showed her mother the worksheet she had brought home from kindergarten last month, Twenge’s heart sank. On the front of the paper, her daughter had been required to draw a picture of herself to go with the words “I’m very happy to be me”. “Well, fine,” thought her mum. But on the reverse were the words to the “Special” song, in which kindergarten children sing, to the tune of Frère Jacques, the words “I am special, I am special. Look at me! Look at me!” It might sound cute and innocent to many parents but it is anathema to ...

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