Terrible child rearing practices in the West. Parents' lives revolve around their children in a way that was not the case in previous generations, when children had to entertain themselves and adults had their own lives. Children are brought up to believe they are special just for being who they are and are taught unjustified self-esteem for having accomplished nothing, which is of course nonsense. No wonder people grow up to believe that the world revolves around them - it is what they are taught.
We have an epidemic of depression (with symptoms like feelings of worthlessness, lack of self-esteem). To me your assumption doesn't add up. How do you explain increased rates of depression
and narcissism?
Narcissism is what comes after Christianity goes.
The United States is one of the most religious countries on earth with a homicide rate appr. 6-7x higher than most other developed countries. Japan has the lowest crime rate and is a country of atheists. Your conclusion doesn't hold up. Correlations actually show the opposite of what you assume.
The cause, I believe, is Facebook/SMS/how people interact with each other nowadays. Also the Google bubble, wherein Google censors your search results based on what it thinks you like, therefore strengthening your own world view and thus increasing narcissistic tendencies. I suppose it's slightly more complicated, but I have absolutely no doubt that the way we utilize technology nowadays is at the root of the problem
I believe that technology leads to more isolation and increased rates of mental illness. I think of narcissism as a mental illness (or at least a symptom worth noting) such as depression. Things that bring down rates of - for example - depression, should also bring down the rates of narcissism. At least according to my hypothesis.
The reason why narcissism increases is of cultural origin:
Schizophrenics who lived hundreds of years ago saw devils, hell etc.
Schizophrenics nowadays see cameras everywhere and think they are being watched by the NSA.
The symptoms you have as someone who is mentally ill is at least partially determined by culture.
Those who are mentally stable will not develop NPD. You need a basis (vulnerability to mental illness due to genetics and traumas) combined with cultural factors.