I recently read an article about narcissism. It talked about a new book published about this “disorder”. Apparently
Symptoms of this disorder, as defined by the DSM-IV-TR, include:
- Expects to be recognized as superior and special, without superior accomplishments
- Expects constant attention, admiration and positive reinforcement from others
- Envies others and believes others envy him/her
- Is preoccupied with thoughts and fantasies of great success, enormous attractiveness, power, intelligence
- Lacks the ability to empathize with the feelings or desires of others
- Is arrogant in attitudes and behavior
- Has expectations of special treatment that are unrealistic
Sure, some people immediately sprang to mind, but the overall impression I had is that, when we are honest, there is a narcissist in each of us. We used to call those things “sin”. Or at least the tendency to sin, concupiscence…
There was ODD – oppositional defiant disorder. It used to be called disobedient. Naughty.
Sure, some of us have greater or lesser tendencies and dispositions. But to blame all our actions on syndromes and disorders may end up being a bit of a cop out.
Let’s not go back to the hell-fire-and-damnation approach, but let’s also not let the pendulum swing to the opposite extreme. I’m as interested in personality types, genetic predispositions, and cultural differences as the next person; they may explain a lot of what you and I do – but they don’t totally excuse all we do.
What do you think?
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image: Narcissus by Caravaggio (1597) – illustrates the Greek myth of Narcissus who falls in love with his own reflection.
Expects to be recognized as superior and special, without superior accomplishments. Expects constant attention, admiration and positive reinforcement from others. Envies others and believes others envy him/her. Is preoccupied with thoughts and fantasies of great success, enormous attractiveness, power, intelligence. Lacks the ability to empathize with the feelings or desires of others. Is arrogant in attitudes and behavior. Has expectations of special treatment that are unrealistic.
Sums up clergy pretty well…
Just because it’s a disorder doesn’t mean we’re absolving people of their guilt for their sins. It just means that this pattern shows up in a remarkable number of people and that it is a pattern of emotions, thoughts, or behaviors that causes significant distress or impairment. If “there is a narcissist in each of us,” but it doesn’t cause significant distress or impairment in important areas of your life, then you’re not a narcissist.
Mental illnesses are not entirely different from who we are, although we’d like to think they are because that’s easier. Mental illnesses are more often than not natural human tendencies warped or exaggerated. For example, sadness and isolation are normal to a certain point and at certain times in our lives. If you’re sad constantly and you isolate to the point that it causes significant distress or impairment in your life, it might be depression.
And God bless– try to get anything done with a kid with ODD and then tell me that you think it’s just “naughty.” These kids go above and beyond just “naughty.”
Thanks, Allie. I wonder if I might also rework your sentence to “Sins are more often than not natural human tendencies warped or exaggerated”? Blessings.
Both are true, although mental illnesses and sins are certainly not the same things.
Bruce Chilton in his book ‘Rabbi Jesus’ identifies Jesus with having Bipolar tendencies. It is reassuring that Hesus bore our weaknesses and infirmities, even taking on their full weight stretched on the beam of a cross of execution. Jesus surely took not only our sin and syndromes on, but our sufferings, our lonlinesses etc in the Garden of Gethsemane. Much of our human inner struggle was paid for not so much on the cross but in the prayer and supplication on the one who knew in his body the syndromes, hurts and stories of what it is to be fully human.
Thanks, Phillip. It is an interesting, important thought that Jesus, fully human, would have suffered illness and other difficulties just as we all do. Blessings.
And then there’s homosexuality – sin or syndrome?
Or, maybe, just the way some people are made?
There’s a medical difference between a personality disorder ( such as narcissistic pd/sociopathy/psychopathy or whatever we’re going to call it this week ) and mental illness. People with personality disorders are considered largely un-treatable and nor do they view their condition as disordered. They actually think they are better at life than the rest of us. And resent any attempts to curtail or call to account their behavior.
Mental illness most people have some insight into their condition as being something wrong and they will seek and accept treatment.
Also disproportionately- though humans like to offer the explanation of ‘crazy’ for criminal behaviours…the mentally ill are for the most part not violent or destructive or seeking to act out against others.
Whereas narcissistic personality disordered individuals almost all do, if not to the extent of the worst-portrayed individuals who commit rape and murder and torture
– they are without aspects of conscience so feel no remorse or compunction about treading on people around them.
I imagine much of corporate business grew up around the success of narcissists…and if you’ve ever had one in your life, you won’t forget it, trust me.
What an ideal environment an unregulated church or cult would be for such an individual…
By the way, God would be a classic narcissist by some of the religious portrayals, eg angry, destructive, capricious, willful, not about teaching compassion or goodness etc…
Thank you for sharing these interesting thoughts! I think the world would like to replace sins with syndromes (that’s such a pithy phrase, I like it) because it doesn’t want to acknowledge that it’s sinning. In this day and age, nobody wants to think about right and wrong, because they just want to do whatever they feel like doing. Plus, thinking about right and wrong leads to thinking about a standard, and then Someone setting the standard — and nobody likes to feel guilty before God. So they blame it on a disorder. As a writer and avid reader, I see this powerfully manifesting in popular stories these days. Villains are just ‘misunderstood.’ What they do isn’t actually portrayed as evil. And sure, a villain’s backstory can influence who they are, but that doesn’t excuse them for the choices they make and the punishments they deserved. It’s definitely a cop-out, as you said.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts — I can’t believe people are actually calling narcissism a personality disorder. It was an interesting read!
Thanks for the encouragement and reflection. Blessings.