«IT'S CALLED GOSSIP AND OF COURSE IT'S AN OBSESSION OF MINE»

A new book on celebrity culture suggests narcissism, pure and simple, inspires many reality show contestants. In The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America, Dr. Drew Pinsky argues that a high proportion of stars are dysfunctional, in that they suffer from the psychological condition of narcissism. That much makes intuitive sense. But Dr. Pinsky also found that most of the celebrities he included in his research had pronounced narcissistic traits long before finding the spotlight. Narcissism came first; fame followed."Celebrity narcissists aren't egomaniacs with high self-esteem," writes Dr. Pinsky, who also hosts Celebrity Rehab and other reality television shows. "Rather, they are traumatized individuals who are unable to connect in any real way with other people. They are driven to attain fame, with its constant stream of attention, flattery, and empowerment, because they need the steady trickle of adoring recognition to take the place of any kind of real self-love or self-respect."

National Post
August 28 2009