For several decades, psychiatrists, social critics, and writers of other stripes have warned us about the havoc that narcissists wreak in our everyday lives. In this book, social scientist Mark S. Davis maintains that narcissism is much more than individual pathology; indeed, it is a virus that also infects organizations and entire societies. Examining America’s history, this book broadens the discussion of narcissism beyond a troubling personality style. It delves into how superiority, exploitation, retaliation, and a lack of empathy contribute to contemporary issues such as race relations, immigration, and the marginalization of those deemed “deviant” or different. By examining the tragic interplay between narcissism and history, this volume offers solutions to answer the question: Can anyone in modern society, informed by its past, devise a treatment plan for a nation’s personality disorder?

“After doing research on aggression and violence for over 30 years I have concluded that the most harmful belief people can have is the belief that they are superior to others (e.g., their religion, race or ethnicity, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, political party or ideology, school, city, state, country, etc. is the best). This feeling of superiority can lead to the mistreatment of others, which hurts society as a whole. Every person on this planet is part of the human family; no person is superior to any other person.” –Brad J. Bushman, School of Communication, The Ohio State University