For Teens, Image Obsession is Not Self-Obsession

Columbia psychiatrist reflects on dangers of social media

By Brett Chamberlain

In the original Greek mythology, Narcissus was a man who, spurned by a rejected lover, was cursed by the god Nemesis and thus fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. There he sat at the water’s edge, for the rest of his days, basking in the reflection he loved so much and allowing himself to waste away. It is from his name that we derived the term narcissism.

Social media has lured many, especially teens, to fall in love with their virtual image. Just as Narcissus spent days admiring his reflection, adolescents spend hours each day crafting the perfect image of themselves online. From their carefully selected selfies masked by unrealistic filters to hide perceived flaws to the perfectly crafted bio’s and tweets that convey a particular set of personal characteristics to others, the online personas of teens are not an extension of their personality but instead, a precise creation designed to represent how they wish to be perceived.

Adolescence is supposed to be a time of self-discovery, but instead has turned into an era of image creation. Discovery of our true selves happens through experience, challenges, and in-person interaction with others. Social media fools us into believing that we can short cut this process of discovery and instead forge an ideal image through brute force and then insist others adhere to this construction. Without the discovery of their true selves, teens are left vulnerable. In-person social interactions provoke social anxiety because the control

“The online personas of teens are not an extension of their personality but instead, a precise creation designed to represent how they wish to be perceived.” offered by social media over the perceptions of others is lost, leaving teens feeling exposed. Otherwise innocuous comments can lead to dramatic mood swings because a lack of a stable sense of self makes teens more susceptible to negative feedback – described by a term called interpersonal hypersensitivity. Teens sacrifice the process of discovery of their true selves in favor of a process of virtual image creation. All the while, their true selves waste away at the water’s edge.

Dr. Chamberlain is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Burrell Behavioral Health where he also serves as the director of medical education.

To see the data on the mental health toll our youth are experiencing, visit www.burrellcenter.com/report.