<p>Possibly worth considering: Theodor W. Adorno.  "What Does Coming to Terms with the Past Mean?" (1959) included among selected writings in "Can One Live after Auschwitz? A Philosophical Reader (2003). </p>

<p>Adorno wrote: "On the subjective side, in the psyche of people, National Socialism increased beyond measure the collective narcissism, simply put: national vanity. The individual’s narcissistic instinctual drives, which are promised less and less satisfaction by a callous world and which nonetheless persist undiminished as long as civilization denies them so much, find substitute satisfaction in the identification with the whole. This collective narcissism was severely damaged by the collapse of Hitler’s regime, but the damage occurred at the level of mere factuality, without individuals making themselves conscious of it and thereby coping with it." </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-16T20:30:02.300Z
Yeah, you can see that in all cultures.  Narcissism usually has to do with vanity and someone's vain (even if the viewpoint does have a truth to it) view of the world that exists in the mind of the most common cultural viewpoints.  Most people with extreme forms of narcissism are often protectors of the status quo because being the master of the status quo  is what gives them their feeling of superiority.
whatsinaname
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-16T19:14:53.943Z
2016-08-16T19:14:53.943Z
ThomasDoe
<p>So "Narcissis" was an actual "person" in Greece who so fell in love with himself he bacame a flower that always was by the waterside so he could see his reflection and how pretty he was. Therefore my answer is "no" in the Historical sense of the word. "Looking at the mirror" is a powerful tool in psychology though and the irony that Narcissis was a male is interesting. A collection of male narcissists ... the only thing that comes to mind is Hollywood.</p>

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2016-08-18T00:27:50.053Z
2016-08-18T00:27:50.053Z
Doctor Zhivago
<p>Maybe I'm referring to the dominant ideology, but is it possible for people to get together and combine their narcissistc ideologies together and share them? Are there any good papers on this subject?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-24T22:18:39.733Z
fyi I've just asked [Could "Is there a such thing as collective narcissism?" be modified or asked again in a different form such that it could be answered?](https://psychology.meta.stackexchange.com/q/2556/19214)
uhoh
<social-psychology>
Is there a such thing as collective narcissism?
whatsinaname
# Is there a such thing as collective narcissism?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-08-16)

Maybe I'm referring to the dominant ideology, but is it possible for people to get together and combine their narcissistc ideologies together and share them? Are there any good papers on this subject?

**Tags:** social-psychology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: fyi I've just asked [Could "Is there a such thing as collective narcissism?" be modified or asked again in a different form such that it could be answered?](https://psychology.meta.stackexchange.com/q/2556/19214)  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-08-16. Score: 3

Possibly worth considering: Theodor W. Adorno. "What Does Coming to Terms with the Past Mean?" (1959) included among selected writings in "Can One Live after Auschwitz? A Philosophical Reader (2003).

Adorno wrote: "On the subjective side, in the psyche of people, National Socialism increased beyond measure the collective narcissism, simply put: national vanity. The individual’s narcissistic instinctual drives, which are promised less and less satisfaction by a callous world and which nonetheless persist undiminished as long as civilization denies them so much, find substitute satisfaction in the identification with the whole. This collective narcissism was severely damaged by the collapse of Hitler’s regime, but the damage occurred at the level of mere factuality, without individuals making themselves conscious of it and thereby coping with it."

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Yeah, you can see that in all cultures.  Narcissism usually has to do with vanity and someone's vain (even if the viewpoint does have a truth to it) view of the world that exists in the mind of the most common cultural viewpoints.  Most people with extreme forms of narcissism are often protectors of the status quo because being the master of the status quo  is what gives them their feeling of superiority.  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2016-08-18. Score: 2

So "Narcissis" was an actual "person" in Greece who so fell in love with himself he bacame a flower that always was by the waterside so he could see his reflection and how pretty he was. Therefore my answer is "no" in the Historical sense of the word. "Looking at the mirror" is a powerful tool in psychology though and the irony that Narcissis was a male is interesting. A collection of male narcissists ... the only thing that comes to mind is Hollywood.


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