whenever i see ppl discussing Lasch's "Culture of Narcissism" on here, they always make a show of decrying the narcissists, but they never address his central claim:

the "narcissism" of today comes from a loss of a felt sense of historical continuity, and is an adaptive response

so Lasch was before "the end of history" but it psychologizes that idea as a starting point -- what is a person to do when detached from any stable notion of historical continuity, when they do not, cannot identify with the (same) past or future (as others)?

using that lens of "to what extent does this act affect felt sense of historical continuity?" leads one to some weird conclusions.

the obvious direction for thought is "conservatism" but some historical continuity is itself discontinuity in other ways, so it's not that obvious.

oh, you want a weird one? consider the "radical tradition"

it's ironic: it evokes a felt sense of historical continuity to produce action that creates discontinuity, unsettling others' felt sense of continuity. it then positions itself as the only meaningful alternative. Lol

for Lasch the result of lacking a felt sense of historical continuity becomes "turning away from history", no longer seeing yourself as part of a stream, but "atomized" (in a diff way than typically used)

where else can you turn but inward, toward the self & your contemporaries?