In today’s society, we often categorize wealthy people, and in particular, CEOs, as those with lifelong happiness and freedom to enjoy life’s pleasures. Yet, recent studies have shown contradictory findings. Not only has it been more apparent that wealthy people are participating in narcissistic and self-benefiting behavior, it has had an effect on our economy. A recent example of the effects of narcissism is the so-called “reign” of Dick Fuld, former CEO of Lehman Brothers. Because of Dick Fuld’s narcissistic tendencies, the American economy was placed in the worst economic state since the Great Depression. In order to fully understand the reasoning behind Dick Fuld’s narcissism, we must first examine the collapse of Lehman Brothers. In 1850, two brothers from Bavaria established Lehman Brothers; originally, Lehman Brothers was a cotton-trading business, but…show more content… When a person is placed in a situation that they are expected to fail, constructive narcissism is beneficial in order to respond appropriately and succeed. As Professor Mark Stein of the University of Leicester discussed, many CEOs of large corporations are constructive narcissists to a certain degree due to their unwavering determination to prosper (283). On the other hand, reactive narcissism typically occurs when a situation becomes stressful or dangerous. Reactive narcissism causes a person to react in a harmful manner, determined to “naturalize or destroy their creative potential” (qtd. in Stein 283). Reactive narcissists are convinced that everyone is trying to deceive him/her, and as a result, reactive narcissists tend to belittle others (Stein 283). Moreover, reactive narcissists believe that they are all knowing and therefore, do not need advice from others (Stein 286). Not only are reactive narcissists a bane existence in a company, they also tend to ultimately destroy to the company as a
