It is a good day to post a comment about Congressman Anthony Weiner, as he’s finally resigned. Seeing how poorly his decision-making has been of late, we can all be relieved that he’s no longer making decisions that affect us and our country.
He’s in strong denial and self-absorbed? Most certainly! But is there something else about Mr. Weiner’s behavior that talks to his deeper motivation to share his “wares” with the world. The Greek myth about Narcissus might shed a little light here. Like Narcissus, the Congressman needed affirmation of his desirability and self-worth to the extent that he risked everything for it. Twitter opened him to an endless supply of women who had the potential of bolstering a fragile self-esteem. This psychological vulnerability took precedence over his sense and his care for his wife, family, constituents, and self.
What is the moral to Mr. Weiner’s story? Twitter and other social networks are powerful social pools of self-expression, community feedback, and self-esteem regulation. We can begin to over rely on them to meet psychological needs that are not getting met in our day to day lives. The more fragile our self-worth and the more stress we are under, the greater risk we are at for letting the pitfalls of social networks get the best of us.
What’s your take on my post today?
