1/ One of most important things I've learned: Severe personality problems find *camouflage.*
No one thinks "I'm a sadist" or "I'm a malignant narcissist." They find a belief system/social group that validates their most hateful, destructive impulses & construes them as virtues.
No one thinks "I'm a sadist" or "I'm a malignant narcissist." They find a belief system/social group that validates their most hateful, destructive impulses & construes them as virtues.
2/ The most toxic and hateful people in the world are 100% convinced they fight on the side of all that is good and right.
3/ They find a way to give free rein to their cruelty, to attack, to treat others cruelly and viciously.
And they find *allies to cheer them on* who also believe they are on the side of all that is good and right.
And they find *allies to cheer them on* who also believe they are on the side of all that is good and right.
4/ For colleagues looking for a more theoretical explanation, the psychological processes are splitting, projection & projective identification.
Splitting means not recognizing one's own capacity for hate, cruelty & destructiveness. The person is blind to the bad in themselves.
Splitting means not recognizing one's own capacity for hate, cruelty & destructiveness. The person is blind to the bad in themselves.
5/ Instead, they project the badness onto some designated other. And this other person, via the defense of projection, is now seen as the repository of all that is bad and evil. That is the projection.
6/ The person now feels fully justified in unleashing their viciousness and hate on the other person—who is now seen (via the defense of projection) as someone monstrous, who must be destroyed.
7/ If the person who is projected onto responds to the provocation with anger or aggression, this is taken as proof they are hateful and destructive. This is called "projective identification."
/8 The end result is that the person can deny their own sadism, cruelty, and hate—and simultaneously act it out without restraint.
And feel themselves to be 100% on the side of truth and right as they do it.
And feel themselves to be 100% on the side of truth and right as they do it.
9/ If you found this 🧵useful and want more insights on psychology, psychiatry, and mental health
1. follow me @jonathanshedler
2. like and retweet the first tweet ❤️
Thanks for reading
1. follow me @jonathanshedler
2. like and retweet the first tweet ❤️
Thanks for reading
10/ I discussed this thread on the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Podcast with Dr. @DavidPuder.
If you want to hear more, check it out
open.spotify.com
If you want to hear more, check it out
open.spotify.com
Loading suggestions...