The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations [Paperback]

Christopher Lasch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 1991

When The Culture of Narcissism was first published, it was clear that Christopher Lasch had identified something important: what was happening to American society in the wake of the decline of the family over the last century.

The book quickly became a bestseller. This edition includes a new afterword, "The Culture of Narcissism Revisited."

Editorial Reviews

Review

Formidable intellectual grasp and the kind of moral conviction rarely found in contemporary, value-neutral history and sociology. . . . Lasch is on to something quite real. (Time )

His vigorous appraisal of contemporary American life is to be admired as much for the perspicacity of his observations as for the contancy of this argument and the scope of his supporting references. . . . Few write with his penetration, intelligence, and historical expertise. (Kirkus Reviews )

Christopher Lasch has gone to the heart of our culture. The insights into personality and its social context are stunning. This is a courageous, important book. (Michael Rogin, University of California, Berkeley )

Cultural history at its best. . . . Provokes, startles, and keeps the reader arguing with himself as well as with the writer. . . . A book of fundamental importance. (Bruce Mazlish, Massachusetts Institute of Technology )

About the Author

Christopher Lasch (1932–1994) was also the author of The True and Only Heaven, The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy, and other books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Revised edition (May 17, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393307387
• ISBN-13: 978-0393307382
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 5.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-written, literate, persuasive cultural analysis..., October 17, 2005

By 

Stephen Armstrong (Hadley, Ma USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations (Paperback)

I found this book very throught-provoking, in the boldness and bleakness of its basic thesis (that narcissism is really about fear [and is not simply about vanity]; and that America is a culture that suffers from [and promotes] fear [of nothingness, of "no exit"]). Due to this narcissistic fear, Lasch believes that Americans lack a purpose, an "end-point," and that this anomie, coupled with gross cultural overloads (the failure of the family, the intrusion of the state into the family, the substitution of state paternalism for individual self-initiative, the erosion of authority, the "therapeutic culture," and so forth) gives rise to "the spectacle" designed to distract America from the fear of being nothing and its inner rage (whew! that was a sentence!).

It takes some effort to grasp Lasch's thesis, and I found some of the commentary dated (as one might expect from a book published in 1979), but the writing is very polished and thoughtfully provocative.

All of the "problems" I encountered with the book were those of trying to understand, think through, "test" and consider Lasch's ideas--which, to me, are all marks a good book. I can find fault with specifics in Lasch's ideas, but overall, this was a persuasive, interesting, and compelling union of cultural and individual analysis, centered on the psychoanalytic concept of narcissism and America's unique history. Specific topics included: (a) "making it" in America; (b) pseudo self-awareness and the spectacle of politics and celebrity; (c) the degradation of sport; (d) the commoditization of education and its focus on "life adjustment;" (e) socialization of reproduction and the collapse of authority; (f) the flight from ("true") feeling embodied in a culture of promiscuity and sexual warfare (perhaps his least balanced chapter); (g) the "planned obsolescence" of older persons; and (h) the link between our bureaucratic culture and narcissistic dependence on it.

The overall tone of the book reminded me of Joan Didion's novels and Yates' poem Slouching Toward Bethlehem--fear and anxiety about nothing within, nothing without, simply our neediness. Lasch's book also reminded me of another psychoanalytically informed cultural critique from the 1950s, Norman Brown's Love's Body.

37 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book for which there should be renewed interest, April 21, 1999

By 

Micah H. (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations (Paperback)

While I have always felt that Lasch, in general, relied too heavily on Freudian theory in his arguments (which is a shame, given his outstanding knowledge of both history and sociology), the specific portrait he draws of the modern american personality is both accurate and damning - this is Freud that works! There should be a new popularity for this several-years-old book since it is, however unintentionally, the psycho-biography of William Jefferson Clinton. If you ever wondered why the most powerful man on earth risked all to dally with a 21 year-old intern or what made a former peacenik into the Bomber of the Balkans, you must read this book. The real answers are there. Additionally, the late Prof. Lasch was an excellent stylist... if only other academics wrote half as well.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic reading !, April 23, 2005

By 

Rev4u "Rev" (PV, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations (Paperback)

Lasch has touched a very sensistive social nerve in his book "The Culture Of Narcissism." He gives the reader the awareness of living in a society that has become increasingly self-absorbed, out of touch with its past and future, and totally focused on the moment where everyone is seeking decadence and immediate self-gratification. I strongly believe that the narcissism in our culture is the direct result of the combination of consumerism and individualism that are both advocated for by the corporate elite and the politicians. The end result is profits !!! Lasch's book is a powerful and accurate portrayal of an ailing society heading toward disaster....
I would highly recommend this book for every American that is interested in comprehending himself and his society. It will surely provide the reader with an educational experience and an electrifying reading!