Combining medical credibility with pseudo celebrity, a cosmetic surgeon peddles his elixir of eternal youth. “As seen on TV” and “visiting from Paris” run the deal-sealing straplines. This is just one of the many symptoms of a rising tide of societal narcissism.
More weapon than vehicle, a supersized pickup truck hurtles along the motorway flashing its headlights. Its demands are simple and non-negotiable: right of way, immediately, and a disproportionate share of the road. Unnecessarily large, the only heavy load this vehicle will ever carry is the driver’s overinflated sense of entitlement and self-importance. Yet another symptom of a rising tide of societal narcissism.
Psychologists Jean Twenge and Keith Campbell have charted the rise of societal narcissism in the United States. In their book, The Narcissism Epidemic, they report data from 37,000 college students spanning several decades. The data demonstrates a clear rise in narcissistic personality traits, such as vanity, exploitativeness and exhibitionism. Our own data for Emirati college students, reported in the Journal of Personality and Mental Health, tells a similar story. This is a pandemic.
At one level it’s easy to see where this is all coming from. We are constantly being encouraged to “sell ourselves” and “fake it till we make it”. These socially endorsed platitudes have, for some, become mantras to live and die by. We have become the used-car salesmen of our own souls, determined to convince potential customers (employers, spouses, friends) that we are the “real deal”.
The old advertising slogan “image is everything” has been taken to heart, and now everyone from politicians to college girls seeks out the services of appearance-augmentation specialists, be they spin doctors or cosmetic surgeons. Photoshop was once a noun, now it’s a verb.
Some people blame the internet for the rise in societal narcissism (some people blame the internet for everything). I don’t think this is the case though. The internet is just a new medium for the expression of narcissistic tendencies, and it also provides what I call “ego-metrics”: the number of likes, followers and friends we attract.
The internet is simply a great facilitator of attention-grabbing exhibitionism, and attention is something the more narcissistic among us require in large supply. Even negative attention is fine, because this can just be rebranded as jealousy and those critical of us can simply be dismissed as “haters”. All publicity is good publicity, as they say. Something we should keep in mind while bemoaning the latest outrageous comment of publicity hungry politicians, especially those with funny hair.
Advertising, the internet and the excessive promotion of self-esteem in schools (we are all winners here), have all been indicted as driving forces in the rising tide of societal narcissism. But perhaps there are other forces at work too, darker unconscious forces.
There is an old idea within the psychoanalytic tradition of psychology, which goes something like this: narcissism, with all its apparent self-love and grandiosity, is really a defensive mask against deep-seated feelings of inferiority and worthlessness. The narcissist loathes rather than loves himself. Perhaps then our societal narcissism mirrors this idea on a larger collective scale. Maybe the rising levels of societal narcissism are a defensive mask against the idea that we have messed up, failed and even brought our own planet to the brink of environmental catastrophe.
Whatever the cause for the rise in societal narcissism, we need to address it before it slowly destroys our relationships with one another. In the tragic myth of Narcissus, from where we take the term narcissism, the self-obsessed youth dies broken-hearted and alone. Depression and divorce are currently enjoying an all-time high.
Dr Justin Thomas is an associate professor of psychology at Zayed University and author of Psychological Well-Being in the Gulf States
On Twitter: @DrJustinThomas
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Saturday's results
West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley
Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
SUNDAY'S ABU DHABI T10 MATCHES
Northern Warriors v Team Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangla Tigers v Karnataka Tuskers, 5.45pm
Qalandars v Maratha Arabians, 8pm
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
