By M. S. Thambirajah –
Dr. M. S. Thambirajah
Prime minister of India Narendra Modi addressing a gathering of doctors and other professionals on October 25, 2014 at a hospital in Mumbai said, “We all read about Karna in the Mahabharata. If we think a little more, we realise that the Mahabharata says Karna was not born from his mother’s womb. This means that genetic science was present at that time. That is why Karna could be born outside his mother’s womb”. On another occasion he wrote the foreword to a book for school students in Gujarat which maintains, among other things, that the Hindu God Rama flew the first aeroplane, the claim being that India had Vimana (aeroplanes) in ancient days.
Rather than being evidence of past astronomical technology, the Vimana folklore is a far more impressive testament to the tendency of some sections people, especially the right-wing groups like Hindutva warriors, to glorify the past, especially when their contemporary achievements are poor. In overall developmental terms India is struggling. On the Human Developmental Index (HDI), an internationally accepted metric compiled by the United Nations Development Programme and used to quantify a country’s average achievement in 3 basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living places India’s score is at 0.685, and comes at 130th globally. (Sri Lanka did better with a score of 0.776 and came 89th ). Hence India has nothing to boast of on the economic front. Perhaps this is the very reason that the Hindutva politicians glorify the past in order to distract the Indian masses from the actual state of Indian economy at present. In social psychology term ingroup glorification refers to the process of elevating or idealizing a person, group, or concept. This can lead to increased loyalty and support for the glorified entity, often at the expense of critical thinking or objectivity.
A similar myth that has been widespread among the Tamils of South India is the Kumarikkandam legend the concept has remained popular among Tamils, especially those of South India.. Here the assertion is that there was a large continent called Kumari kandam which embodied an ancient Tamil civilization, supposedly located south of the Indian subcontinent in the Indian Ocean. According to this theory, Kumarikandam was the place where the first two Tamil literary academies (Sangams) were organised during the Pandyan reign. Tamil nationalists claim that Kumari Kandam was the cradle of civilisation and I proof to the antiquity of the Tamil language and culture. Although there is evidence that some coastal areas of South India were indeed eroded by successive Tsunami the theory is now considered obsolete and is superseded by the continental drift (plate tectonics) theory.
A corresponding myth among the Sinhalese is the Vijaya myth that has been interwoven with the identity of the Sinhala race. Although not verified by archaeological or historical evidence the story of Prince Vijaya has, though the centuries, been central to the belief among Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese race and remains embedded in their collective memory. The significance of the myth lies in the assertion that he Sinhalese are the natural heirs to the island and the founder of the Sinhalese race was an Aryan, thus adding glory to the history of the Sinhalese.
The psychological basis of these myths and other similar assertions is that they are used to glorify the respective ingroup. The term glorification refers to the process of elevating or idealizing a person, group, or concept, which can influence social identity and group dynamics. This can lead to increased loyalty and support for the glorified group and is often accompanied by derogation of the other social group/s. This phenomenon can occur in different contexts, such as nationalism, cultural movements, or historical accounts and chronicals.
Self-glorification and self-love are narcissistic traits. The term narcissism comes from a Greek mythological story. In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a beautiful youth who fell deeply in love with his own reflection in a pool and craved for fulfilment of his love and was transformed into the flower that bears his name, the daffodil, which forever bows its head over water. The myth serves as a warning against vanity and the dangers of self-absorption, leading to the psychological term “narcissism”. The Oxford English Dictionary defines narcissism as ‘excessive self-love or vanity; self-admiration, self-centredness’. Narcissistic behaviour is about desiring and seeking admiration and attention, combined with a sense of entitlement.
Applied to social groups such as ethnic and religious groups it is called collective narcissism, the belief that one’s own group (the in-group) is special and is entitled to privileged treatment but is not sufficiently recognized by others. It is a form of extreme in-group love and is usually accompanied by out-group hate. Thus, collective narcissism is often linked to prejudice, intergroup aggression, and rejoicing in the suffering of people belonging to the outgroup. Collective narcissism often leads to intergroup aggression, and conflict.
Admittedly, every social group – national, religious, ethnic or linguistic – has an inherent need to feel good about itself. Fair enough. But, the problem arises when such glorification becomes comparative and serves the purpose of asserting one’s superiority vis a vis the other social groups. Excessive self-pride of a social group, be it Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims is a harbinger of communal strife, discord and conflict.
In psychology and psychiatry, the term narcissism refers to a grandiose sense of self- importance, a need for excessive admiration by others. Thus, a narcissist is a person who has an exaggerated sense of self-importance and a need for excessive admiration (think of Donald Trump!) It’s important to note that narcissism exists on a spectrum, with all humans exhibiting this trait to some extent. Depending on its severity, narcissism can be a personality trait or a mental health disorder, i.e., Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
Those with a collective narcissism outlook are more concerned with how their group reflects on them, rather than with caring for other in-group members. Accordingly, collective narcissism is associated with readiness to defend the in-group image from criticism but also using in-group members for personal gains. Furthermore, collective narcissism is associated with negative out-group attitudes, extensive sensitivity to intergroup threats, conspiracy theories, intergroup hostility, and support for violent extremism. The Collective Narcissism Scale is given below is an abbreviated version of the original scale is said to measure the degree of one’s collective narcissism. You may want to try it. For the complete version see: https://cpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.gold.ac.uk/dist/1/19/files/2017/02/English.pdf.
The last word on ingroup glorification should go to Sigmund Freud: “ It is always possible to bind together a considerable number of people in love, so long as there are other people left to receive the manifestation of their aggressiveness”
The Collective Narcissism Scale – Abbreviated (Golec de Zavala et al, 2009)
The most popular scale used in social psychology to assesses the construct of collective narcissism is The Collective Narcissism Scale (Golec de Zavala et al, 2009) given below. You may want to try it.
Instruction: Please think about the group that you identify while responding to the items of the scale. Remember you are responding to each of the items in the scale as a member of your group and not as an individual. Rate each item given below on a scale of 1 to 6 (1 = Totally disagree to 6 = Totally agree).
1. I wish other groups would more quickly recognize the authority of my group.
2. My group deserves special treatment.
3. I will never be satisfied until my group gets the recognition it deserves.
4. I insist upon my group getting the respect that is due to it.
6. It really makes me angry when others criticize my group.
7. If my group had a major say in the world, the world would be a much better place.
8. I get upset when people do not notice the achievements of my group.
9. Not many people seem to fully understand the importance of my group.
The true worth of my group is often misunderstood.
The average score is 27 and it indicates normal collective narcissism; High scores (more than 27) denote abnormally high levels of collective narcissism .
