Narcissism and Evil
By Sam Vaknin
Author of "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited"

In his bestselling "People of the Lie", Scott Peck claims that
narcissists are evil. Are they?

The concept of "evil" in this age of moral relativism is slippery
and ambiguous. The "Oxford Companion to Philosophy" (Oxford
University Press, 1995) defines it thus: "The suffering which
results from morally wrong human choices."

To qualify as evil a person (Moral Agent) must meet these
requirements:

1.. That he can and does consciously choose between the (morally)
right and wrong and constantly and consistently prefers the latter;
2.. That he acts on his choice irrespective of the consequences to
himself and to others.
Clearly, evil must be premeditated. Francis Hutcheson and Joseph
Butler argued that evil is a by-product of the pursuit of one's
interest or cause at the expense of other people's interests or
causes. But this ignores the critical element of conscious choice
among equally efficacious alternatives. Moreover, people often
pursue evil even when it jeopardizes their well-being and obstructs
their interests. Sadomasochists even relish this orgy of mutual
assured destruction.

Narcissists satisfy both conditions only partly. Their evil is
utilitarian. They are evil only when being malevolent secures a
certain outcome. Sometimes, they consciously choose the morally
wrong - but not invariably so. They act on their choice even if it
inflicts misery and pain on others. But they never opt for evil if
they are to bear the consequences. They act maliciously because it
is expedient to do so - not because it is "in their nature".

The narcissist is able to tell right from wrong and to distinguish
between good and evil. In the pursuit of his interests and causes,
he sometimes chooses to act wickedly. Lacking empathy, the
narcissist is rarely remorseful. Because he feels entitled,
exploiting others is second nature. The narcissist abuses others
absent-mindedly, off-handedly, as a matter of fact.

The narcissist objectifies people and treats them as expendable
commodities to be discarded after use. Admittedly, that, in itself,
is evil. Yet, it is the mechanical, thoughtless, heartless face of
narcissistic abuse - devoid of human passions and of familiar
emotions - that renders it so alien, so frightful and so repellent.

We are often shocked less by the actions of narcissist than by the
way he acts. In the absence of a vocabulary rich enough to capture
the subtle hues and gradations of the spectrum of narcissistic
depravity, we default to habitual adjectives such as "good"
and "evil". Such intellectual laziness does this pernicious
phenomenon and its victims little justice.

Note - Why are we Fascinated by Evil and Evildoers?

The common explanation is that one is fascinated with evil and
evildoers because, through them, one vicariously expresses the
repressed, dark, and evil parts of one's own personality. Evildoers,
according to this theory, represent the "shadow" nether lands of our
selves and, thus, they constitute our antisocial alter egos. Being
drawn to wickedness is an act of rebellion against social strictures
and the crippling bondage that is modern life. It is a mock
synthesis of our Dr. Jekyll with our Mr. Hyde. It is a cathartic
exorcism of our inner demons.

Yet, even a cursory examination of this account reveals its flaws.

Far from being taken as a familiar, though suppressed, element of
our psyche, evil is mysterious. Though preponderant, villains are
often labeled "monsters" - abnormal, even supernatural aberrations.
It took Hanna Arendt two thickset tomes to remind us that evil is
banal and bureaucratic, not fiendish and omnipotent.

In our minds, evil and magic are intertwined. Sinners seem to be in
contact with some alternative reality where the laws of Man are
suspended. Sadism, however deplorable, is also admirable because it
is the reserve of Nietzsche's Supermen, an indicator of personal
strength and resilience. A heart of stone lasts longer than its
carnal counterpart.

Throughout human history, ferocity, mercilessness, and lack of
empathy were extolled as virtues and enshrined in social
institutions such as the army and the courts. The doctrine of Social
Darwinism and the advent of moral relativism and deconstruction did
away with ethical absolutism. The thick line between right and wrong
thinned and blurred and, sometimes, vanished.

Evil nowadays is merely another form of entertainment, a species of
pornography, a sanguineous art. Evildoers enliven our gossip, color
our drab routines and extract us from dreary existence and its
depressive correlates. It is a little like collective self-injury.
Self-mutilators report that parting their flesh with razor blades
makes them feel alive and reawakened. In this synthetic universe of
ours, evil and gore permit us to get in touch with real, raw,
painful life.

The higher our desensitized threshold of arousal, the more profound
the evil that fascinates us. Like the stimuli-addicts that we are,
we increase the dosage and consume added tales of malevolence and
sinfulness and immorality. Thus, in the role of spectators, we
safely maintain our sense of moral supremacy and self-righteousness
even as we wallow in the minutest details of the vilest crimes.



Sam Vaknin ( http://samvak.tripod.com ) is the author of Malignant
Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West
Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Global Politician,
Central Europe Review, PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a
United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and
the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in
The Open Directory and Suite101.

Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government
of Macedonia.

Visit Sam's Web site at http://samvak.tripod.com