Everyday on television, streets, media, and everything we do except for those living on the woods, we have been constantly facing narcissism. Someone behind the scenes is telling us how to eat, what to do, and how to behave and we think it's beautiful. 60 years ago people did the same.

Is it possible to avoid this programming? Is it possible to make our own decisions, or we are doomed to the choices of the wealthy and of the one who have power to decide what the society must be?

It's really a shame

It's really nothing serious. The social class is the existence since the humanity throughout history.The world although looks like unfairness,but it is the equality in fact.The communist party thinks Capitalism causes the society not to be equal, so they pursue the social integration.Instead of , causing the people to be more destitute.Therefore We shouldn't complain about this programming I think so.We should spend one's energy seeking more efficient methods to becomes the rich person ,or a national celebrity.

Well arthurgomes ...
I don't think society, the general population or as one may label it, is capable of such actions. I believe that society has always needed to be lead by the hand. Also it easier to focus anger at someone else than at one, when something goes wrong. The power elite do control a vast range of "things", and it's all the result of general public as a whole allowing it because its reasonable at the time or something that pertains at that exact moment.
The general population can't do much to change it or stop it, but maybe individually it can make a difference.
Now a days the power elite view the control as presenting as many options for one to chose, but I don't buy it.
The expectations that society or the norms are what drive one to follow the example or do as they are told without an example. If one marches at the own beat of their drum, then one is label by society and such labels carry stigmas that limit our daily activities.
There's always going to be individuals than control and to be controlled.
At least this is what I believe, I can be wrong, but I guess I can deal with that.
Also I wouldn't label it as narcissism, but that's me.

Well, actually we're the one to blame for those i think. When people think that something should be done by some way, and many people agree to that then it should be done like that too. what i'm trying to say is, we are living in a world where majority voices rule.
it is unfortunate, but true .. .

I thought narcissism involved an obsession with yourself, thinking you're the centre of everything, etc or elitism? O_O I'm not sure if that's what you're talking about, but it doesn't sound like you are... =/

But on the topic that you're talking about, we are social animals, we look to others for confirmation of what we do is correct or acceptable. So it is inevitable that a large portion of society and all the aspects relating to it is run by a majority vote...

Its pretty much programmed into us. Human nature to have the weak and the strong (just like a lot of animals in the world).
In our case it might not be the "strongest" like Lions for example, its our looks or what we can achieve. That make us "better".
I mean yea its pretty blown up now a days but, its been the same through out time, standards of beauty change, but people will always try to be beautiful.

Life's hard and the weak will always be led by the strong. It's an unfortunate fact of life, yet it is a fact. I wouldn't spend much time worrying about such things. Instead, I think it's better to just focus on living life to the best of your ability, regardless of the circumstances in which the world finds itself.

I would agree with algaesia in that this isn't totally relevant to obsession with self/narcissism but does involve self-serving attitudes.
I think you're rather talking about a degree of influence that other people or things might have in one's life. Imo, most people tend to be discontented people because the things of the world appeal to them in some way. They feel that it is necessary to have first hand experiences. And even though they may be acting upon the influence it is still to their choosing in the end. Everyone gets influenced by something to varying degrees but you have choices.

A thread inspired by my quote in the Shout Box

I already said that even though real narcissists are not so common but self image is much too important. Women these days are intensely pressured to be thin to the bone, beautiful, confident, strong, smart, talented in everything etc. But what Teens in particular are really worrying much about is their looks. They are vain, but not narcissists.

How to avoid it? Get yourself married so you never have to worry about how you look again (jk). But in reality, there is no way to avoid it except if you become some form of hermit in the middle of no where where the only person you see is yourself in the mirror. But there is also another way: Be happy. Accept yourself, love yourself (the first principle of peace and love). The thing the media, stylists, everything is eating at right now is this: our unhappiness with ourselves. If we can destroy this, we can destroy a part of the wall that prevents us from looking on the other side and seeing the bigger picture.

Is not inevitable, it is not even a growing phenomena.

Concern for self image is as old as history, what has changed is the looks, fashion and the concept of beauty. Long ago women used very uncomfortable corsets and many other torturing devices in order to look pretty, now they starve to die. The real difference lies in media, characteristic of modern times, that have spread a single beauty concept (distorted occidental one) worldwide. Recently a new male concept of beauty has arisen, but is not globally adopted.

Beauty is subjective, and specially, is personal. As 4th said, if you love yourself and feel comfortable with how you look, you don't need to start the crazy race to narcissism and beauty standardization.

Hmm...I wouldn't blame this matter on narcissism...Personally, I feel that the constant race to become beautiful is caused more by propaganda. The propaganda I mean here is none other than those advertisements, signboards, books and others that portray beauty as a certain set of standards, such as slim, tall, fair, etc.

To me, the main factor we are easily affected by all these ads is because we believe things too easily. When a certain brand of body cream claims that it can make your skin beautiful, some people just trust it without a doubt, without thinking that the advertisement must have had some kind of graphic enhancement to show such lovely skin...this is also why advertising companies are earning so much, as it all depends on their ability to convince the human mind that this product is the one for them ^_^"

In the end, it's just about perception and the human capacity to think independently, which a number of us lack. If we can think for ourselves and avoid being influenced easily by our environment, the tendency to be a narcissist might decrease greatly :p