Scribd
Upload
37 views4 pages

Selfie Support

A study found that men who post more selfies than others scored higher on measures of narcissism and psychopathy. Additionally, men who edited their selfies before posting scored higher in narcissism and self-objectification. Excessive selfie posting has also been linked to body dysmorphic disorder, where individuals obsess over perceived flaws in their appearance. While selfies are a fun way to capture moments, frequent posting could indicate narcissism, low self-esteem, or attention-seeking behavior if individuals associate their self-worth with the number of likes or responses received.

Uploaded by

Rice Monster
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
37 views4 pages

Selfie Support

A study found that men who post more selfies than others scored higher on measures of narcissism and psychopathy. Additionally, men who edited their selfies before posting scored higher in narcissism and self-objectification. Excessive selfie posting has also been linked to body dysmorphic disorder, where individuals obsess over perceived flaws in their appearance. While selfies are a fun way to capture moments, frequent posting could indicate narcissism, low self-esteem, or attention-seeking behavior if individuals associate their self-worth with the number of likes or responses received.

Uploaded by

Rice Monster
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

According to Gwendolyn Seidman Ph. D.

on an article posted in

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/close-encounters/201501/are-selfies-

sign-narcissism-and-psychopathy, a new study appearing in an upcoming

issue of Personality and Individual Differences examined the relationship

between selfie-posting, photo-editing and personality. In this study, the

authors examined self-objectification, along with three traits, known as the

“Dark Triad”: narcissism, psychopathy, and machiavellianism. They’re called

“dark” because they have an almost evil connotation and are associated with

a callous and manipulative way of interacting with other people. To examine

the association between selfies and personality, they used data from a

nationally representative sample of 1,000 men between 18 and 40 years old.

Participants completed personality questionnaires assessing the dark triad

and self-objectification. They were asked how many selfies they had taken

and posted on social media in the last week, as well as how many other

photos they had posted and how much time they spent on social media sites.

They were also asked to rate how often they used various methods to make

themselves look better in pictures, such as cropping, filtering, and re-

touching.Results showed that both narcissism and self-objectification were

associated with spending more time on social networking sites, and with more

photo-editing. Posting numerous selfies was related to both higher narcissism

and psychopathy, controlling for the overall number of other types of photos

posted. Machiavellianism was unrelated to photo behavior when taking these

other variables into account.


A new study conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University

found that men who tend to post more selfies than others scored higher

on measures of narcissism and psychopathy. This doesn’t mean that

these men are necessarily narcissistic or psychopathic. It only means that

these men tend to have higher than average levels of these antisocial

traits.In addition, the study found that men who edited their selfies before

posting scored higher in narcissism and self-objectification but not in

psychopathy. Those who scored high in psychopathy typically posted

without editing. This is posted in http://psychologia.co/selfies-and-

mental-health/.

In addition, Dr. David Veale, a consultant psychiatrist at the South London

and Maudsley NHS Trust and The Priory Hospital said, “taking too many

selfies is a symptom of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BBD), where two out of

three of all the patients who come to see me have BDD since the rise of

camera phones have a compulsion to repeatedly take and post selfies on

social media sites”.He told MailOnline: ‘Taking selfies is not an addiction - it’s a

symptom of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) that involves checking one’s

appearance. Cognitive behavioral therapy is often used to help patients

moderate their obsessive behavior relating to their appearance. Sufferers of

BDD can spend hours trying to take pictures that do not show any defects or

flaws in their appearance, which they are very aware of but which might be

unnoticeable to others.
Dr. Yusuf Matcheswala, head of department at PD Hinduja Hospital, said

that teenagers spending a lot of time on social networking sites is a problem

that is on rise. “Clicking selfie is a habit and a fad," said Dr Matcheswala.

While, Dr. Harish Shetty, psychiatrist from Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital,

said that clicking selfie is a magnified way of seeing oneself in the

mirror. "Teenagers are more concerned about how they look and how

others perceive them. Generally, individual selfie-clickers are seeking

identity and meaning in the world.”

What initially started as a fun act of capturing a picture of oneself without

the use of a photographer, has now become behavior that can lead to

addiction, narcissism, and even suicide for some. Clinical psychologist Bart

Rossi said, “Today too many people are interested in making a statement

about themselves on the internet and creating an influential existence. Selfies,

when used to excess show a lack of depth and a shallow personality. If

someone is obsessed with taking selfies it is most likely because the

individual is self-absorbed and narcissistic.”

In a different article of Psychology Today, Dr. Pamela Rutledge says that

taking selfies can be detrimental to a person’s mental health and that

indulging in them is indicative of narcissism, low self esteem, attention

seeking behavior and self-indulgence.” For most, selfies are just a fun way to

capture a moment in time, but for others, the response they receive from

viewers about their picture becomes associated with self-worth. They over
evaluate the “likes” or absence of likes, and equate those responses with their

value. The more likes they get, the more they post. It the response from

viewers equates to a “high” that makes them feel good. They crave that

feeling and become more and more obsessed with posting. They start to need

that reinforcement similar to an alcoholic or addict need the fix to get through

their day. A focus develops for capturing a selfie at every event or the perfect

selfie, always seeking to supersede the rush they get when they see someone

“likes” them. They become obsessed with their importance to others,

interpreting their actions or looks as being as important to others as it is to

them. Thus a narcissist, a person obsessed with themselves, is born or

amplified. On the reverse, when a selfie is posted and there is no response or

even negative responses, the poster internalizes those actions as valid data

about their beauty or importance. Some posters respond by becoming

obsessed with taking a picture worthy of someone’s approval.  The perfect

angle, the perfect light, the perfect outfit.  They hope to fill a void within that

can never be filled from outside sources, therefore never achieving a sense of

satisfaction that they strive for. The lack of satisfaction they feel creates a risk,

often setting them up for disappointment, depression, and for some, suicide.

You might also like