Narcissism as a global barrier to education for sustainable development

Abstract

Narcissism, extreme self-interest, refers to a set of personality characteristics including arrogance, self-centeredness, need for admiration, sense of entitlement, grandiosity, lack of empathy, and interpersonal exploitation, which can range from normal to a diagnosable mental disorder, narcissistic personality disorder. Narcissism, deriving from the Greek myth of Narcissus who fell in love with his reflection in a pool of water which led to his demise, is part of our human nature and is associated with aggressive behaviour, conflict and war, counterproductive work behaviour, "bad" leadership, and weaker environmental ethics. Evidence suggests that individual and collective narcissism is increasing worldwide. Correspondingly, individualism is increasing while collectivism is declining. Furthermore, leadership attracts narcissists with its allure of power and prestige, who then affect their organisations' performance, and those higher in narcissism tend to attain higher leadership levels. These trends are increasingly problematic as our world shifts toward greater interdependence. Add the challenges of narcissism with its corresponding threats to sustainable institutions to the challenges of sustainable development, "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987: 43), and this identifies an overlooked barrier to education for sustainable development. We developed a testable model to address this barrier. Since the determining factors for institutional sustainability are generated largely by activities of specific teams, departments, and task forces, our framework stresses interactions at the group level in education systems. This model presents seven sets of impacts of a narcissistic leader's actions upon the outcomes for her or his group, generates fourteen propositions, and outlines research strategies.

Sociopathic narcissistic leadership: How about their victims?

“…Even if it may sound impossible, there are areas for corrective interventions. These measures might be employed by any institutions or governing bodies by integrating strategies and improving leadership (Milligan et al, 2022). This type of educational initiative should start among the smallest groups in our society, that is, families and schools.…”

“…Members of Congress are entitled to access classified information by virtue of the constitutional offices they hold and do not need security clearances, thereby “weakening Congress's ability to legislate or conduct effective oversight” (Smithberger & Schman, 2020). Continuous media reporting and free journalism become necessary to reveal individuals with such personality traits and to ensure a resilient global democracy (Day et al, 2020; Milligan et al, 2022; Pils, 2021; Xu & Jin, 2018). Another possibility is information and education that targets voters, constituents, and people whose suffering nourishes such leadership.…”

“…Another possibility is information and education that targets voters, constituents, and people whose suffering nourishes such leadership. Since narcissism is prevalent globally, global educational investment by international organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the UN, and through democratic governance that allows individual activities for the sake of the community and global well‐being, is needed (Day et al, 2020; Milligan et al, 2022; Pils, 2021; Xu & Jin, 2018).…”

Does Laboratory Matters in Today’s High School Learning Environment?

“…School strict administration may influence a subconscious encouragement to the teacher in order to meet the expected criteria lined by the upper administrative person. However, in management field, this may sound unrelated with common knowledge, as excessive burden might bring bad influence to the employee (in this case, teachers) (Heath & McCann, 2021;Milligan et al, 2022;Milosevic et al, 2020) On the other hand, public schools might rely more on traditional lecture-based approaches, potentially impacting students' ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios tested (Elfaki et al, 2019), especially in the biology test. Our observation and note from teachers' response revealed that due to the teaching experience, many express that their main achievement is to earn the certification or work experience as the basic requirement of public service registration.…”

Workplace Arrogance, Need for Power, and Counterproductive Work Behaviors in Corporate Managers: The Mediating Role of Humility

“…The corporate managers of these organizations are very arrogant, and sometimes they exhibit the wrong use of power to fulfill the tasks. These managers create a toxic and stressful work environment for other employees of the organization (Anjum et al, 2018;Appelbaum & Roy-Girard, 2007;Milligan et al, 2022;Rasool et al, 2019;Rasool et al, 2021). In Pakistan, studies related to these variables are highly acknowledged in the field of industrial and organizational psychology.…”