The Cult of Self-help (Part 2)

Conscious Revolution

1×

0:00

-1:06:46

The Cult of Self-help (Part 2)

The Main Character Syndrome

Margarit Davtian

Sep 01, 2023

In Part 2 of the Cult of Self-help, I spill the tea on something that the self-help world conveniently forgets to mention: the Main Character Syndrome (MCS). You know that feeling when you think your life's a romcom, and you're the star, director, and producer all in one? That's MCS, where you're the protagonist of your own epic saga. Our cultural obsession with the hero’s journey like Eat, Pray, Love is just one small reflection of that.

Self-help often encourages us to reflect and grow, but it conveniently sweeps under the rug the potential dark side of MCS, which is a cult of personality of sorts.

In cults, people transform their identities to match the group's narrative. Well, MCS isn't that different. It's about adopting a persona driven by the need for likes, followers, and validation, courtesy of the self-help or personal development industry. And guess what? Social media is the stage for this performance. We turn our lives into a 24/7 reality show, curating every moment to keep the narrative going. Sponsored posts, merchandise, and selling our 'authentic' journeys become the norm. But at what cost?

In this episode, I dive deep into the MCS, exploring the psychological mechanisms underlying MCS energy, the trajectory of learned selfishness, and how the phenomena of parasocial relationships and audience capture play a role.

Enjoy!

Timetimes & Key Discussions:

03:27- Recap of Part 1

05:48- Clarification of an important point that I previously missed about quality of life & well-being

13:51- Mini rant about influencers who romanticize MCS

21:04 - Introduction to the MCS (Light & Dark sides)

30:21- Learned Selfishness as a survival mechanism of hyper-competitiveness and individualism

36:12- I share my experience with MCS and the turning point that woke me up from it

41:07- How the MCS shows up in parasocial relationships and audience capture

57:16- Closing remarks and words of encouragement

References:

The Trouble with ‘Main Character Syndrome’- Psychology Today article

What is the Main Character Syndrome?- Refinery29 Article

Are you guilty of the Main Character Syndrome?- Daily Mail Article

The spiritual psychology of self-love: the good, the bad, the ugly - Seek with Ser blog post

Audience Capture:How Influencers Become Brainwashed by their Audience- YouTube segment by After Skool

Discussion about this podcast

Conscious Revolution

Conscious Revolution is a podcast about political awakening--where we explore the intersection of cults, cons, and capitalism. How do we define ourselves outside of exploitative social systems, mainstream cults, internet echo-chambers, and authoritarian agendas? How do we navigate the collective struggle to discern reality from illusion? Conscious Revolution is a critical exploration of this and so much more! Get in, loser: We're starting a Conscious Revolution!

Hosted by Margarit Davtian, a Master’s level social scientist, activist, and spiritual seeker. This podcast takes a critical approach to personal evolution and embraces the concept of ethical, trauma-mindful self-help.

We deconstruct cultural movements, dodge the traps of the spiritual ego, explore new perspectives, laugh at our mistakes, liberate our mind from dogma, and resist the culty influences that distort, manipulate, or sabotage our evolution.

There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path. I hope you have chosen to walk the path. I’m so happy that our paths have crossed and I’m looking forward to celebrating, sharing, and learning with you! For more insights and inspiration, visit seekwithser.com. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook @seekwithser.

Listen on