Pathological Narcissism, Group Behaviour, and Terrorism

Pathological Narcissism, Group Behaviour, and TerrorismBy: Sam Vaknin1. What is pathological narcissism?All of us have narcissistic TRAITS. Some of us even develop anarcissistic PERSONALITY. Moreover, narcissism is a SPECTRUM ofbehaviours - from the healthy to the utterly pathological (known asthe Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or NPD).The DSM IV uses this language:"An all-pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behaviour),need for admiration or adulation and lack of empathy, usuallybeginning by early adulthood and present in various contexts."Here are the 9 criteria. Having 5 of these 9 "qualifies" you as anarcissist...Feels grandiose and self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievementsand talents to the point of lying, demands to be recognized assuperior without commensurate achievements)Is obsessed with fantasies of unlimited success, fame, fearsome poweror omnipotence, unequalled brilliance (the cerebral narcissist),bodily beauty or sexual performance (the somatic narcissist), orideal, everlasting, all-conquering love or passion Firmly convincedthat he or she is unique and, being special, can only be understoodby, should only be treated by, or associate with, other special orunique, or high-status people (or institutions)Requires excessive admiration, adulation, attention and affirmation -or, failing that, wishes to be feared and to be notorious(narcissistic supply).Feels entitled. Expects unreasonable or special and favourablepriority treatment. Demands automatic and full compliance with hisor her expectations Is "interpersonally exploitative", i.e., usesothers to achieve his or her own ends Devoid of empathy. Is unableor unwilling to identify with or acknowledge the feelings and needsof others Constantly envious of others or believes that they feel thesame about him or her Arrogant, haughty behaviours or attitudescoupled with rage when frustrated, contradicted, or confronted.The language in the criteria above is based on or summarized from:American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic andstatistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition (DSM IV).Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.Sam Vaknin. (1999, 2001). Malignant Self Love - NarcissismRevisited, second, revised printing Prague and Skopje: NarcissusPublications.("Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited"http://samvak.tripod.com/faq1.html)More Data About Pathological NarcissistsMost narcissists (75%) are men.NPD (=the Narcissistic Personality Disorder) is one of a "family" ofpersonality disorders (formerly known as "Cluster B"). Other members:Borderline PD, Antisocial PD and Histrionic PD.NPD is often diagnosed with other mental health disorders ("co-morbidity") - or with substance abuse, or impulsive and recklessbehaviours ("dual diagnosis").NPD is new (1980) mental health category in the Diagnostic andStatistics Manual (DSM).There is only scant research regarding narcissism. But what there ishas not demonstrated any ethnic, social, cultural, economic, genetic,or professional predilection to NPD.It is estimated that 0.7-1% of the general population suffer from NPD.Pathological narcissism was first described in detail by Freud.Other major contributors are: Klein, Horney, Kohut, Kernberg, Millon,Roningstam, Gunderson, Hare.The onset of narcissism is in infancy, childhood and earlyadolescence.It is commonly attributed to childhood abuse and trauma inflicted byparents, authority figures, or even peers.There is a whole range of narcissistic reactions - from the mild,reactive and transient to the permanent personality disorder.Narcissists are either "Cerebral" (derive their narcissistic supplyfrom their intelligence or academic achievements) - or "Somatic"(derive their narcissistic supply from their physique, exercise,physical or sexual prowess and "conquests").Narcissists are either "Classic" - see definition below - or theyare "Compensatory", or "Inverted" - see definitions here: "TheInverted Narcissist".NPD is treated in talk therapy (psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioural).The prognosis for an adult narcissist is poor, though his adaptationto life and to others can improve with treatment. Medication isapplied to side-effects and behaviours (such as mood or affectdisorders and obsession-compulsion) - usually with some success.2. Human collectives (nations, professions, ethnic groups) andnarcissism - stereotyping or racism?Having lived in 12 countries in 3 continents now, I firmly believein "mass psychopathology", or in ethnopsychology. The members of agroup - if sufficiently cohesive - tend to react similarly tocircumstances.By "cohesive" I mean, if they share the same mental world("Weltanschauung") - possibly the same history, the same language ordialect, the same hopes, folklore, fears, and aspirations ("agenda"),the same enemies and so on.Thus, if recurrently traumatized or abused by external or internalforces, a group of people may develop the mass equivalent ofpathological narcissism as a defence or compensatory mechanism.By "abuse" and "trauma" I mean any event, or series of events, orcircumstances, which threaten the self identity, self image, sense ofself worth, and self esteem of the collective consistently andconstantly - though often arbitrarily and unpredictably. Humancollectives go through formation, individuation, separation - all thephases in individual psychological development. A disturbance in thenatural and unhindered progression of these phases is likely toresult in psychopathology of all the members of the collective.Being subjugated to another nation, being exiled, enduring genocide,being destitute, being defeated in warfare - are all traumaticexperiences with far reaching consequences.The members of the collective form a "condensate" (in physicalterms) - a material in which all the atoms vibrate with the samefrequency. Under normal circumstances, group behaviour resemblesdiffuse light. Subject to trauma and abuse - it forms a malignantlaser - a strong, same wavelength, potentially destructive beam. Thegroup becomes abusive to others, exploitative, detached from reality,bathed in grandiose fantasies, xenophobic, lacking empathy, prone touncontrolled rages, over-sensitive, convinced of its superiority andentitlement. Force and coercion are often required to disabuse sucha group of its delusions.But, this of course, only cements its narcissism and justifies itsdistorted perception of the world.Consider the case of the Jews.The Jews have been subjected to the kind of trauma and abuse Imentioned earlier on an unprecedented and never repeated scale.Their formal scriptures, lore, and ethos are imbued with grandiosefantasies and a towering sense of superiority and "mission". Yet,the inevitable contempt for their inferiors is tampered by the all-pervasive pragmatism the Jews had to develop in order to survive.Narcissists are not pragmatic. They live in a Universe of their ownmaking. They see no need to get along with others. Jews are notlike that. Their creed is a practical survival guide which obligesthem to accommodate others, to empathize with their needs anddesires, to compromise, to admit errors, to share credit, tocollaborate, and so on.Israelis, on the other hand, are "unshackled" Jews. They believethemselves to be the mirror image of the diaspora Jew. They arephysical ("somatic"), strong, productive, independent, in control.They, in short, are less bound by the need to perilously co-existwith baleful, predatory, majorities. They can allow themselves afull, unmitigated, expression of whatever defence mechanisms theyevolved in response to millennia of virulent hatred and murderouspersecutions. Being an Israeli, I gained privileged insight intothis fascinating transformation from tortured slave to vengefulmaster.3. Narcissism and LeadershipAre all politicians narcissists? The answer, surprisingly, is: notuniversally. The preponderance of narcissistic traits andpersonalities in politics is much less than in show business, forinstance. Moreover, while show business is concerned essentially(and almost exclusively) with the securing of narcissistic supply -politics is a much more complex and multi-faceted activity. Rather,it is a spectrum. At the one end, we find the "actors" - politicianswho regard politics as their venue and their conduit, an extendedtheatre with their constituency as an audience. At the otherextreme, we find self-effacing and schizoid (crowd-hating)technocrats. Most politicians are in the middle: somewhat self-enamoured, opportunistic and seeking modest doses of narcissisticsupply - but mostly concerned with perks, self-preservation and theexercise of power.Most narcissists are opportunistic and ruthless operators. But notall opportunistic and ruthless operators are narcissists. I amstrongly opposed to remote diagnosis. I think it is a bad habit,exercised by charlatans and dilettantes (even if their names arefollowed by a Psy.D.). Please do not forget that only a qualifiedmental health diagnostician can determine whether someone suffersfrom NPD and this, following lengthy tests and personal interviews.IF the politician in question is ALSO a narcissist (=suffers fromNPD), then, yes, he would do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to remain inpower, or, while, in power, to secure his narcissistic supply. Acommon error is to think that "narcissistic supply" consists only ofadmiration, adulation and positive feedback. Actually, being feared,or derided is also narcissistic supply. The main element isATTENTION. So, the narcissistic politician cultivates sources ofnarcissistic supply (both primary and secondary) and refrains fromnothing while doing so.Often, politicians are nothing but a loyal reflection of theirmilieu, their culture, their society and their times (zeitgeist andleitkultur).This is the thesis of Daniel Goldhagen in "Hitler's WillingExecutioners".More about Narcissists in positions of authority:http://samvak.tripod.com/faq11.htmlhttp://samvak.tripod.com/msla7.html4. Political and economic circumstances and emerging narcissisticgroup behavioursPathological narcissism is the result of individual upbringing (see:"The Narcissist's Mother" and "Narcissists and Schizoids" ) and, inthis sense, it is universal and cuts across time and space. Yet, thevery process of socialization and education is heavily constrained bythe prevailing culture and influenced by it. Thus, culture, mores,history, myths, ethos, and even government policy (such as the "onechild policy" in China) do create the conditions for pathologies ofthe personality.The ethnopsychologist George Devereux ("Basic Problems ofEthnopsychiatry", University of Chicago Press, 1980) suggested todivide the unconscious into the id (the part that was alwaysinstinctual and unconscious) and the "ethnic unconscious" (repressedmaterial that was once conscious). The latter includes all ourdefence mechanisms and most of the superego. Culture dictates whatis to be repressed. Mental illness is either idiosyncratic (culturaldirectives are not followed and the individual is unique andschizophrenic) - or conformist, abiding by the cultural dictates ofwhat is allowed and disallowed.Our culture, according to Christopher Lasch teaches us to withdrawinto ourselves when we are confronted with stressful situations. Itis a vicious circle. One of the main stressors of modern society isalienation and a pervasive sense of isolation. The solution ourculture offers us - to further withdraw - only exacerbates theproblem.Richard Sennett expounded on this theme in "The Fall of Public Man:On the Social Psychology of Capitalism" (Vintage Books, 1978). Oneof the chapters in Devereux's aforementioned tome isentitled "Schizophrenia:An Ethnic Psychosis, or Schizophrenia without Tears". To him, thewhole USA is afflicted by what came later to be called a "schizoiddisorder".C. Fred Alford (in "Narcissism: Socrates, the Frankfurt School, andPsychoanalytic Theory", Yale University Press, 1988) enumerates thesymptoms:"...withdrawal, emotional aloofness, hyporeactivity (emotionalflatness), sex without emotional involvement, segmentation andpartial involvement (lack of interest and commitment to thingsoutside oneself), fixation on oral-stage issues, regression,infantilism and depersonalization. These, of course, are many of thesame designations that Lasch employs to describe the culture ofnarcissism. Thus, it appears, that it is not misleading to equatenarcissism with schizoid disorder." (page 19).Consider the Balkan region, for instance:http://samvak.tripod.com/pp25.htmlhttp://samvak.tripod.com/pp29.html5. Christopher Lasch, American "culture of narcissism" and the longterm effects of the September 11 atrocitiesLasch and his work are increasingly relevant in post SeptemberAmerica.This is partly because the likes of bin Laden hurl at Americaprimitive and coarse versions of Lasch's critique. They accuseAmerica of being a failed civilization, not merely of meddlingignorantly and sacriligeously in the affairs of Islam (and the restof the world). They fervently believe that America exports thiscontagious failure to other cultures and societies (through its

idolatrous mass media and inferior culture industries) andthus "infects" them with the virus of its own terminal decline. Itis important to understand the left wing roots of this cancerousrendition of social criticism.Lasch wrote:"The new narcissist is haunted not by guilt but by anxiety. He seeksnot to inflict his own certainties on others but to find a meaning inlife.Liberated from the superstitions of the past, he doubts even thereality of his own existence. Superficially relaxed and tolerant, hefinds little use for dogmas of racial and ethnic purity but at thesame time forfeits the security of group loyalties and regardseveryone as a rival for the favors conferred by a paternalisticstate. His sexual attitudes are permissive rather than puritanical,even though his emancipation from ancient taboos brings him no sexualpeace. Fiercely competitive in his demand for approval and acclaim,he distrusts competition because he associates it unconsciously withan unbridled urge to destroy. Hence he repudiates the competitiveideologies that flourished at an earlier stage of capitalistdevelopment and distrusts even their limited expression in sports andgames. He extols cooperation and teamwork while harboring deeplyantisocial impulses. He praises respect for rules and regulations inthe secret belief that they do not apply to himself.Acquisitive in the sense that his cravings have no limits, he doesnot accumulate goods and provisions against the future, in the mannerof the acquisitive individualist of nineteenth-century politicaleconomy, but demands immediate gratification and lives in a state ofrestless, perpetually unsatisfied desire."(Christopher Lasch - The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in anage of Diminishing Expectations, 1979)There is no single Lasch. This chronicler of culture, did so mainlyby chronicling his inner turmoil, conflicting ideas and ideologies,emotional upheavals, and intellectual vicissitudes. In this sense,of (courageous) self-documentation, Mr. Lasch epitomized Narcissism,was the quintessential Narcissist, the better positioned to criticizethe phenomenon."Narcissism" is a relatively well-defined psychological term. Iexpound upon it elsewhere ("Malignant self Love - Narcissism Re-Visited"). The Narcissistic Personality Disorder - the acute form ofpathological Narcissism - is the name given to a group of 9 symptoms(see: DSM-4).They include: a grandiose Self (illusions of grandeur coupled with aninflated, unrealistic sense of the Self), inability to empathize withthe Other, the tendency to exploit and manipulate others,idealization of other people (in cycles of idealization anddevaluation), rage attacks and so on. Narcissism, therefore, has aclear clinical definition, etiology and prognosis.The use that Lasch makes of this word has nothing to do with itsusage in psychopathology. True, Lasch did his best tosound "medicinal". He spoke of "(national) malaise" and accused theAmerican society of lack of self-awareness. But choice of words doesnot a coherence make."The Culture of Narcissism - American Life in an Age of DiminishingExpectations" was published in the last year of the unhappypresidency of Jimmy Carter (1979). The latter endorsed the bookpublicly (in his famous "national malaise" speech).The main thesis of the book is that the Americans have created a self-absorbed (though not self aware), greedy and frivolous society whichdepended on consumerism, demographic studies, opinion polls andGovernment to know and to define itself. What is the solution?Lasch proposed a "return to basics": self-reliance, the family,nature, the community, and the Protestant work ethic. To those whoadhere, he promised an elimination of their feelings of alienationand despair.But the clinical term "Narcissism" was abused by Lasch in his books.It joined other words mistreated by this social preacher. Therespect that this man gained in his lifetime (as a social scientistand historian of culture) makes one wonder whether he was right incriticizing the shallowness and lack of intellectual rigor ofAmerican society and of its elites.There is a detailed analysis here, in a reaction I wrote to RogerKimball's "Christopher Lasch vs. the elites"New Criterion", Vol.13, p.9 (04-01-1995):http://samvak.tripod.com/lasch.html6. Are all terrorists and serial killers narcissists?Terrorists can be phenomenologically described as narcissists in aconstant state of deficient narcissistic supply. The "grandiositygap" - the painful and narcissistically injurious gap between theirgrandiose fantasies and their dreary and humiliating reality -becomes emotionally insupportable. They decompensate and act out.They bring "down to their level" (by destroying it) the object oftheir pathological envy, the cause of their seething frustration, thesymbol of their dull achievements, always incommensurate with theirinflated self-image.They seek omnipotence through murder, control (not least self control)through violence, prestige, fame and celebrity by defying figures ofauthorities, challenging them, and humbling them. Unbeknownst tothem, they seek self punishment. They are at heart suicidal. Theyaim to cast themselves as victims by forcing others to punish them.This is called "projective identification". They attribute evil andcorruption to their enemies and foes. These forms of paranoia arecalled projection and splitting. These are all primitive, infantile,and often persecutory, defense mechanisms.When coupled with narcissism - the inability to empathize, theexploitativeness, the sense of entitlement, the rages, thedehumanization and devaluation of others - this mindset yieldsabysmal contempt. The overriding emotion of terrorists and serialkillers, the amalgam and culmination of their tortured psyche - isdeep seated disdain for everything human, the flip side of envy. Itis cognitive dissonance gone amok. On the one hand the terroristderides as "false", "meaningless", "dangerous", and "corrupt" commonvalues, institutions, human intercourse, and society. On the otherhand, he devotes his entire life (and often risks it) to theelimination and pulverization of these "insignificant" entities. Tojustify this apparent contradiction, the terrorists casts himself asan altruistic saviour of a group of people "endangered" by his foes.He is always self-appointed and self-proclaimed, rarely elected. Theserial killer rationalizes and intellectualizes his murderssimilarly, by purporting to "liberate" or "deliver" his victims froma fate worse than death.The global reach, the secrecy, the impotence and growing panic of hisvictims, of the public, and of his pursuers, the damage he wreaks -all serve as external ego functions. The terrorist and serial killerregulate their sense of self esteem and self worth by feedingslavishly on the reactions to their heinous deeds. Their cosmicsignificance is daily enhanced by newspaper headlines, everincreasing bounties, admiring imitators, successful acts ofblackmail, the strength and size of their opponents, and thedevastation of human life and property.Appeasement works only to aggravate their drives and strengthen theirappetites by emboldening them and by raising the threshold ofexcitation and "narcissistic supply". Terrorists and killers areaddicted to this drug of being acknowledged and reflected. Theyderive their sense of existence, parasitically, from the reactions oftheir (often captive)audience.APPENDIX - Responses in a correspondence following the publication ofthis interviewZionism has always regarded itself as both a (19th century) nationalmovement AND a (colonial) civilizing force:See - Herzl's Butlers -http://samvak.tripod.com/pp27.htmlThe Holocaust was a massive trauma NOT because of its dimensions -but because GERMANS, the epitome of Western civilization, have turnedon the Jews, the self-proclaimed missionaries of Western civilizationin the Levant and Arabia. It was the betrayal that mattered.Rejected by East (as colonial stooges) and West (as agents of racialcontamination)alike - the Jews resorted to a series of narcissistic defencesreified by the State of Israel. The long term occupation ofterritories (metaphorical or physical) is a classic narcissistictrait (of "annexation" of the other). The Six Days War was a war ofself defence -but the swift victory only exacerbated the narcissistic defences.Mastery over the Palestinians became an important component in thepsychological makeup of the nation (especially the more rightwing andreligious elements) because it constitutes "Narcissistic Supply".Bin Laden (and by extension Islamic fundamentalism) is thenarcissistic complement of the State of Israel. His narcissisticdefences are fuelled by unrequited humiliation(Millon's "compensatory narcissism"). The humiliation is the outcomeof a grandiosity gap between reality and grandiose fantasies, betweenactual inferiority and a delusional sense of superiority (and cosmicmission), between his sense of entitlement and his incommensurateachievements, skills, and accomplishments.When narcissists are faced with the disintegration of theirnarcissistic "infrastructure" (their False Self) - theydecompensate. I have outlined the possible psychodynamic reactionshere:http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/npd/87772Narcissism is always concommitant with the "civilizing" components ofcolonialism ("White Man's Burden") - though not with the mercantilistelements."Pathological narcissism is a well defined (and phenomenological)mental health theoretical construct. No doubt, narcissists engage inanti-Other discourse and other virulent and pernicious narratives.But the existence of such a discourse is not a DETERMINANT ofpathological narcissism - merely its manifestation.What GIVES RISE to the grandiosity gap IS socio-economic reality.The gap is between the REAL and the IDEAL, between the ACTUAL and the(self-)DELUSIONAL and FANTASIZED. Socio-economic factors breednarcissistic injury and narcissistic rage.=========================================AUTHOR BIO:Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - NarcissismRevisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He is acolumnist for Central Europe Review, United Press International (UPI)and eBookWeb and the editor of mental health and Central East Europecategories in The Open Directory, Suite101 and searcheurope.com.Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Governmentof Macedonia.Visit Sam's Web site at http://samvak.tripod.com