In 1983, Morgan Scott Peck published a book titled People of the Lie to diagnose what human evil is in a psychiatric perspective. This brings many arguments on whether human evil can be a form of disease that can be curable if examined or evil being a kind of certain personality profile. However, Peck’s own examination and what he considers evil behavior contradicts itself because, not only does he say certain actions or behaviors can be evil but he continues to say that the consistency of such behaviors actually makes for what he calls a sort of evil personality and an evil that he wants to regard as an illness. This paper will not support any argument but it will rather give a better understanding on what evil is in regards to narcissistic …show more content…
Despite the fact that Peck’s book is not mainly about narcissistic behavior it is something the reader must understand in order to balance the view of the whole topic of evil in People of the Lie. With the book we find that the subject of narcissism is just as complex as it is important. He begins defining narcissism with what Erich Fromm called “malignant narcissism”. Malignant, because aside from the egotism and self-absorption in narcissism there is also a cause for harm, danger, and suffering in this form of behavior. “Malignant Narcissism is characterized by an un-submitted will. In summary, to a greater or lesser degree, all mentally healthy individuals submit themselves to the demands of their own conscience. Not so the evil, however. In the conflict between their guilt and their will, it is the guilt that they must go and the will that must win. With malignant narcissism there is remarkable power in the manner in which the attempt to control others.” That is to say, human beings who are fit to follow their senses of right and wrong go by what they believe is moral. On the other hand when it involves evil, evil is what drives the conscience to regard that the wrong is what is will satisfy, give control and power to …show more content…
Going back to Charlene’s teaching case we will find many examples that comply with both sides. A point in which I come to an agreement with Peck, that narcissistic behavior is in fact regarded as a symptom to an evil personality is when Charlene is asked about the meaning of life in regards to religion and God. After she replied in a flat, monotone, and quivering tone of voice “I cannot do it.”, that the purpose of life is to glorify God, she continued “There is no room for me in that. That would be my death… I do not want to live for God. I will not. I want to live for me. My own sake!” This is a part, in which I consider Charlene being transparent in words, says a lot about her narcissistic behavior and evil personality. In other words, Charlene was not afraid to tell Peck, at that instance, what she really was thinking. Reading this quote makes me think of Charlene as more than just an egotistical person. Given that Charlene was stated in the book as a “dedicated religious person” and she brought God into the conversation as if he was a form of hindrance to her. One does not have to be devoted to God or know the bible begging to end to understand than in most religions the main person worshiped is God. With those words out not only is she presented as self-absorbed and malignant, she also presents a form of unashamed,
Abstract The correlation between the violent risk of a narcissist and the case of Jodi Arias was researched. The Arias case was shocking and at the center of Americas’ interest, as this trial was closely watched and followed while being aired on television throughout its entirety. It is hard to say what sparked the interest in the public as there were several psychological entities in this case. Many times, when we speak of domestic violence or any type of domestic disturbance our brain auto reacts to think it is male vs. woman.
A narcissist is one who believes “he or she is ‘special’ and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special” people. They exploit others for their own advantage, lack empathy, and are “preoccupied with fantasies” or ideals that can be unrealistic. They believe they are the “primary importance in everybody’s life”. (“Narcissistic Personality”) Henry James’ theme in his short story, “The Beast in the Jungle”, is about a man, who is so egotistical and self-absorbed that he misses what life has to offer him, in particular, love, because of the narcissistic behavior he is doomed to live a life of loneliness and misery.
Donald J. Trump, is known to many as the orange man who wags his finger down a long table of celebrities firing them left and right every Sunday night on NBC. To others he is known as the billionaire tycoon, who graces our headlines for remarkably insensitive or oddball remarks. All (not even possibly Mr. Trump himself), at least until now, viewed him as a possible candidate for the next President of the United States. But as polls indicate, and citizens across the country (both moderate and conservative) vote in favor of Trump, he may very well be sitting in the oval office come January 20th, 2017. Whether this strikes fear in your heart, or tremendous hope is beside the matter, no one can deny the fervor and mania Trump
Narcissism is a disorder of high self-appraisal. Individuals who encounter narcissistic views, tend to not only hurt loved ones, but can also blindly guide themselves to tragedy. This personality disorder has a tendency to lead one to “chronic feelings of depression, and suicidality” (Whitbourne). Greed is the ultimate power of defeat and according to both stories created by Kate Chopin and Edgar Allan Poe, some of the characters result in just that. Armand in “Desiree’s Baby” and Fortunato in “Cask of Amontillado” are both portrayed as narcissistic characters in terms of lusting for pride and arrogance, to get what one wants for their own good nonetheless, hurts those around
...the flip side of intensity” (Tenner 709). Narcissism is this revenge and it has negatively impacted education and society in general. By aiming too much at self-esteem educators have changed the way Generation Me children look at themselves. They act the way they do because they do not know any other way of thinking.
In the poem “White Lies” by Natasha Trethewey the most important phrase is growing up. The phrase growing up means multiple things and affects many pieces of the writing by telling it is a past memory and they talk about their bad choices. When their mother found out the last paragraph says that their mouth is washed out with soap.
“Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” Cleveland Clinic. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. N.P., 20 May 2005. Web. 19 May 2010.
6) The Selfish Gene: The Underpinnings of Narcissism , Further discussion and implications on Selfish Gene Theory
In each of these four areas, the behavior can look different. For example, one style of distorted thinking can lead the person to have an inflated sense of self while another’s can lead to chronic self-loathing. This paper will compare and contrast histrionic and narcissistic personality disorders.
The only person the narcissist will ever pity or feel sorry for is him/herself. If the narcissist believes he/she can get away with doing something (even if it's illegal, immoral, or will hurt someone), he/she will do it. At different times, many high profile individuals are classified as a narcissist in the media. The movie “The Wolf Of Wall Street” demonstrates how a rapid success leads to the narcissistic behavior. “Feel good” holiday movies, usually focus on traditional family values of heroism whereas Martin Scorsese in his film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” does the opposite. The movie focus on lavish life of Jordan but it was a true satire for an individual exploring quick fortune and shortcut of getting rich. Although many critics argue that “The Wolf of Wall Street” focuses mostly on the greed of Belfort, his extravagant luxurious lifestyle and portrayal of women as sex toys and leaves viewer with no moral message, I would disagree, as the film does delivers a moral message that rapid success can cause an individual to develop narcissistic behavior, which eventually leads to destruction and the financial message that will be helpful in investments business.
Firstly, what is exactly narcissism? The word ‘narcissism’ was derived from an ancient Greek myth of Narcissus. Narcissus was depicted as a handsome young man who adored his looks very much. Many young maidens fell in love with him but he criticizes them for being too ugly for him. One day, he fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. However, he accidentally drowned himself as he tried to touch his reflection. Hence, the word ‘narcissism’ is usually depicted as a personality that reflects excessive of self-love on oneself. Individuals who are narcissistic are usually described as somebody who is selfish, snobbish or proud. This is because narcissistic individual processes information obtained differently than others. They believe that they deserve more than others since they think they are more superior in every aspect. Due to their sense of grandiosity, they will do anything in order t...
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a mental disorder that is considered to be an impairment in personality functioning, the presence of pathological traits, lack of empathy for others and a need for admiration. This type of personality disorder has some related disorders such as antisocial behaviors, interpersonal exploitation and envy. According to Luo, Cai, & Song (2014), “Narcissism refers to a kind of abundant self-love, characterized by a series of characteristic including self-desire for admiration, fantasies of superiority, hypersensitivity to criticism, exploitation of people, and lack of empathy for others” (p. 1). There have been ongoing discussions on how this type of behavior is processed in the brain. It is not clearly known
Krents begins his essay by pointing out to the reader that he cannot see himself, and thus, often has to depend upon the viewpoints of others. He states: "To date it has not been narcissistic." The average reader may not be aware that the word "narcissistic" means, "Excessively in love with oneself." It is helpful for the reader to keep this first observation in mind as he continues through the article, and hears Krent’s descriptions of society’s viewpoints.
But following some anti-narcissistic behaviours on their part (a critical remark, a disagreement, a refusal, however polite, all constitute such behaviours) – the narcissist devalues all these previously over-valued individuals. Now they are stupid, lack ambition, skills and talents, common (the worst expletive in the narcissist's vocabulary), with an unspectacular career ahead of them. The narcissist feels that he is misallocating his resources (for instance, his time). He feels besieged and suffocated. He rebels and erupts in a serious of self-defeating and self-destructive behaviours, which lead to the disintegration of his life.
Robbins & Judge (2009) describe narcissism as an individual “who has a grandiose sense of self-importance, requires excessive admiration, has a sense of entitlement, and is arrogant.” Poet Tony Hoagland brought up a valid observation in the textbook about the American culture