of the narcissistic personality disorder…psychiatrists have begun to pay increasing

attention to
2:46
the phenomenon of narcissism, but our understanding of the subject is still in its
infancy.”
2:51
M. Scott Peck, People of the Lie The central characteristic of narcissism is
2:56
an in ated sense of self.
2:59
Narcissists are overcon dent and admire themselves to a degree that is not warranted
by the reality
3:04
of who they are, or what they have accomplished.
3:07
The narcissist’s infatuation with a grandiose self-image leads to self-absorption,
reducing
3:13
their capacity to empathize with the feelings and experiences of other people.
3:19
Narcissism exists on a continuum; some of the milder forms of narcissism, such as
identifying
3:24
with an idealized self-image one creates on social media, are unhealthy, but relatively
3:29
benign.
3:31
At the extreme end of the spectrum lies the pathology of malignant narcissism, in which
3:36
one identi es with an illusory self-image of moral purity.
3:41
Or as Peck explains:
3:42
“Utterly dedicated to preserving their self-image of perfection, [malignant narcissists] are
3:48
unceasingly engaged in the effort to maintain the appearance of moral purity…While
they
3:54
seem to lack any motivation to be good, they intensely desire to appear good.
4:00
Their ‘goodness’ is all on a level of pretense.
4:03
It is, in effect, a lie.
fl
fi
fi
4:05
This is why they are the ‘people of the lie.’”
4:06
M. Scott Peck, People of the Lie Malignant narcissism is a defensive phenomenon
4:12
that is rooted in a deep fear of being inferior or inadequate, particularly in matters of
4:18
morality.
4:19
Due to childhood trauma, growing up with hyper-critical or narcissistic parents, or for
other reasons
4:24
of upbringing, socialization, or genetics, the malignant narcissist cannot acknowledge
4:30
that, like everyone else, they make mistakes, behave immorally, and possess a
potential
4:35
for evil that is rooted in human nature.
4:38
Or as Peck writes:
4:39
“What is the cause of this arrogant self-image of perfection, this particularly malignant
4:45
type of narcissism?
4:46
Basically, it is fear.
4:48
[Malignant narcissists] are continually frightened that they will come face-to-face with
their
4:53
own evil…
4:55
This terror is so chronic, so interwoven into the fabric of their being, that they may not
5:00
even feel it as such.
5:02
And if they could, their omnipresent narcissism will prohibit them from ever
acknowledging
5:06
it.”
5:07
M. Scott Peck, People of the Lie When psychologically healthy people commit
5:11
an immoral or evil act, they acknowledge their wrongdoing, feel guilt and remorse, and
attempt
5:16
to make amends by returning to the side of the good.
5:20
Most of us, in other words, have a functioning conscience which places moral
constraints
5:25
on our behavior.
5:26
The conscience of the malignant narcissist, in contrast, is forced into a state of
dormancy
5:31
by continual acts of self-deception.
5:35
As the malignant narcissist’s identity is anchored in a grandiose self-image of moral
5:39
goodness, when he morally falters, he resorts to rationalizations, confabulations, and
other
5:45
defense mechanisms to maintain a feeling of moral righteousness, thus bypassing the
conscience
5:51
and escaping feelings of guilt.
5:54
Because the malignant narcissist silences his conscience with ongoing self-deceptions
5:59
he can repeatedly lie and behave in ways that oppose life, yet still believe that he is
6:04
on the side of good.
6:06
Or as Peck explains further:
6:08
“It is not their sins per se that characterize [malignant narcissists], rather it is the
6:14
subtlety and persistence and consistency of their sins.
6:18
This is because the central defect of [malignant narcissists] is not the sin but the refusal
6:23
to acknowledge it…Rather than blissfully lacking a sense of morality, like the
psychopath,
6:28
[malignant narcissists] are continually engaged in sweeping the evidence of their evil
under
6:34
the rug of their own consciousness…It is out of their failure to put themselves on
6:39
trial that their evil arises.”
6:44
One of the main self-deceptive mechanisms which the malignant narcissist uses to
avoid
6:48
awareness of his morally imperfect self, is, paradoxically, the very mechanism that leads
6:55
him to commit some of his most evil acts.
6:58
This mechanism is scapegoating, which, as Peck notes, “works through a mechanism
psychiatrists
7:03
call projection.”
7:05
The malignant narcissist unconsciously externalizes the emotions and motivations he
cannot accept
7:11
in himself, attributing them to other people, and he then blames these targets for what
7:16
in reality are his own moral failings and wrongdoings.
7:20
“A predominant characteristic…of the behaviour of [malignant narcissists] is
scapegoating.
7:27
Because in their hearts they consider themselves above reproach, they must lash out at
anyone
7:32
who does reproach them.
7:34
Since they must deny their own badness, they must perceive others as bad…They
never think
7:39
of themselves as evil; on the other hand, they consequently see much evil in others.”.
7:45
M. Scott Peck, People of the Lie Narcissistic scapegoating is on full display
7:49
in the political world.
7:51
 Many politicians today are so desperate to appear morally righteous that they
categorically
7:56
refuse to consider the possibility that their policies, mandates, and social reforms are
8:01
the primary drivers of much that is wrong with society.
8:06
When presented with evidence of their catastrophic failures, or when other people
challenge their
8:10
morally awless self-image, political malignant refuse to accept blame, and instead
double
8:15
down on their policies and heap the blame for society’s problems upon their favored
8:19
scapegoats – be it other nations, political opponents, or individuals who merely happen
8:25
to hold differing political views.
8:27
Or as Peck explains:
8:28
“Strangely enough, [malignant narcissists] are often destructive because they are
attempting
8:34
to destroy evil.
8:36
The problem is that they misplace the locus of the evil.
8:40
Instead of destroying others they should be destroying the sickness within themselves…
As
8:45
life often threatens their self-image of perfection, [malignant narcissists] are often busily
engaged
8:51
in hating and destroying that life—usually in the name of righteousness…They sacri ce
8:56
others to preserve their self-image of perfection…They create for those under their
dominion a miniature
9:03
sick society.”
9:04
M. Scott Peck, People of the Lie In observing the sick state of society, we
9:08
fl
fi
may be tempted to impose the diagnosis of malignant narcissism on any politician we
9:13
disapprove of.
9:15
But in doing so we run the risk not only of a misdiagnosis, but worse, of mimicking the
9:20
malignant narcissist’s scapegoating behavior.
9:23
Or as Peck re ects:
9:25
“Indeed, might I not be guilty of evil myself by so labelling others who disagree with my
9:31
opinions?
9:32
Might I not be misusing the concept of evil by facilely applying it to any and all who
9:37
oppose my judgment?”
9:38
M. Scott Peck, People of the Lie To avoid misdiagnosing and scapegoating others,
9:43
we need to become more conscious of our dark side.
9:46
For the more aware we are of our own moral failures and potential for evil, the less
9:51
likely we are to project our dark side onto others.
9:54
Or as Jung writes: “Many projections can ultimately be integrated back into the
individual
10:00
once he recognizes their subjective origin.
10:02
” (Carl Jung, Practice of Psychotherapy) But by facing up to our dark side, we do more
10:06
than withdraw our projections, we also develop a sixth sense to detect the darkness
which
10:12
lurks behind the malignant narcissists’ morally pure mask.
10:16
For as the psychologist Marie Louise von Franz observed:
10:19
“If one knows about the evil possibilities within oneself then one develops a kind of
10:25
second sight or capacity for getting a whiff of the same thing in other people…to go
fl
10:30
down into the depths of one’s own evil enables one usually to develop the instinctual
recognition
10:36
of corresponding elements in other people.”
10:38
Marie Louise von Franz, The Interpretation of Fairy Tales
10:40
With a heightened capacity to detect evil, we can help others overcome their naivety
10:45
regarding the reality of human evil.
10:48
For the reason malignant narcissists are able to gain popular support and persist in
positions
10:53
of political power, is because most people refuse to fathom the fact that someone who
10:58
tries so hard to appear good, can in reality be morally corrupt.
11:03
Most people, in other words, do not recognize that evil has a tendency to cloak itself in
11:08
the good.
11:10
Or as the psychologist Erich Fromm observed:
11:12
“…the main fallacy which prevents people from recognizing potential Hitlers before
11:17
they have shown their true faces…lies in the belief that a thoroughly destructive and
11:21
evil man must be a devil – and look his part; that he must bear the sign of Cain so
11:27
visibly that everyone can recognize his destructiveness from afar.
11:32
Such devils exist, but they are rare…much more often the intensely destructive person
11:38
will show a front of kindliness…he will speak of his ideals and good intentions…Hence,
11:44
as long as one believes that the evil man wears horns, one will not discover an evil
11:50
man.”
11:51
Erich Fromm, The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness As more of us become aware of
the political
11:54
evil that is dividing and destroying society, we should try, as much as possible, not to
12:00
let anger and hatred sully our attempts to be a force of good.
12:05
Malignant narcissists are easy to hate, but harboring hatred only nourishes their
malevolence
12:10
and makes us easy targets of scapegoating.
12:13
Hatred also harms us through the stress it generates in the mind and body.
12:18
Rather than stewing in hatred, we should focus our energies on spreading the truth, as
truth
12:23
is one of the greatest weapons against evil – hence why Satan is often referred to as
12:28
“the father of lies”.
12:30
We should call out the hypocrisy of the political malignant narcissists, expose their lies,
12:35
mock their overweening moral pride, and watch on as the truth renders their behavior
increasingly
12:41
desperate, erratic, and eventually self-destructive.
12:44
“Pride goeth before the fall”.
12:48
Or as M. Scott Peck concludes:
12:50
“The evil hate the light—the light of goodness that shows them up, the light of
12:56
scrutiny that exposes them, the light of truth that penetrates their deception.”
13:01
(Peck)
13:08
M. Scott Peck, People of the Lie