Collective Narcissism, Anti-Globalism, Brexit, Trump, and the Chinese Juggernaut

Abstract

Brexit and the election of Trump both relied on a particular type of nationalistic appeal to collective narcissism — an exaggerated emotional belief that the nation’s greatness is being undermined by other nations and other people. This tendency is catered to by appeals to make the nation great again by shutting borders and embracing isolationism while scapegoating refugees and immigrants. The rise of jingoistic leaders like Trump, Putin, and Erdogan can be explained by such appeals. But China, which has long suffered feelings of national humiliation is reacting in quite different ways that embrace globalism, even while rejecting multiculturalism. This paper seeks to tie these developments together as well as show how collective narcissism and a particular strain of individual narcissism among leaders can feed into one another as well as fuel leaders’ heightened feelings of privilege and entitlement leading to conspicuous consumption and bullying.