Abstract
Under their grandiose facade, elite narcissists, and narcissistic psychiatric patients, pose as warped mirror reflections of each other, flawed by toxic character deformities. Galvanized by their callousness, narcissists relentlessly eliminate opponents and rise to the highest-ranking positions. Utopian promises shadow the undertones of their malignant sadism, paranoia, and greed. Their cold ambition infects social structures like a deadly virus. The shocking revelations of this clinical study demystify the ensnaring quicksand of narcissism contaminated by obsession and sadomasochism.
Trumpism proliferates out of entitled privilege, and the pledge of infinite winnings. Celebrity hungry optimists line up to be transformed into their idol’s glamour replicas. Void of ideals, Trumpism exploits brainwashing techniques, designed to deactivate human will and foster fanatic partisanship. It is infested with prejudice, misogyny, and racism that incite division and bloodshed.
Narcissism breeds impostors and fraudsters, glorified by a phenomenology of artifacts. It is the architect of decadence, fragmented interpersonal relationships, and social cancers.
Epilogue: The Darkness of Narcissism
The statistically significant results of the first clinical study revealed that upper-class individuals in high-ranking positions are clinically damaged, hiding behind their deceptive mask of charisma. They exhibit sadism, in the conspicuous absence of any compassion or depressive symptomatology. Their unemotional empathy is weaponized to scrutinize those they want to manipulate or exploit. They seal over severe psychopathology until stress propels an involuntary psychological regression to lower levels of functioning. Their personality profile is mirrored by narcissistic mental patients who manifest sadism, masochism, exacerbated anaclitic dependency, and harsh self-judgement tinged by paranoia, obsessiveness, and hysteria.
Narcissists have limited desire to progress above the narcissistic level because they are irresistibly attracted to the mirage of grandiose omnipotence. Abandoning the illusion means facing the mundane reality that washes off their uniqueness and makes them look like everyone else.
Humility is a necessary milestone in the psychological progress to higher levels of functioning. It is mandatory to be introduced to one’s true nature and vulnerability, to feel mortal and ordinary, before opening the gates of self-actualization and sublimation, distinguished by originality, character integrity, self-autonomy, and independence. Most narcissists never escape the juvenile lotusland. They are forever entrapped by their emotional handicap. Lost in a hall of mirrors, they have never tasted the richness of true intimacy, decency, compassion, creativity. They are incredibly versatile in defrauding others. The narcissistic level of functioning provides the costumes and rhetoric for several stage roles, such as the hero, the charmer, the genius, the saviour, the patriot, the religious fanatic. They are very convincing in mimicking archetypes of accomplished individuals, yet they are just wannabes. They boast a lot but none of these qualities is genuine. Under conditions of stress, they are prone to regressions into co-dependency, masochism, and self-destructiveness, or sink even deeper into the chaos of psychosis, where their pathology may be further complicated by psychopathy.
Overview of the Levels of Functioning
The hierarchy of psychological levels illuminates the diverse aspects of psychopathology. It refines them with context, unfolding a panoramic view of each complex multifaceted character structure as expressed in real-time. The author has expanded on previous theoretical frameworks to compose the following five levels:
- o Psychotic level of chaotic fusion, self-confabulation, contamination, reality distortion, and disorientation. A psychotic society is encapsulated in a cocoon of invincibility and misinformation that often leads to acts of savagery that would be inconceivable by any individual acting alone.
- o Borderline level: defined by dependency, poor impulse control, perpetual anguish and feeling deprived. Idolatry of a narcissistic leader and fanaticism driven by the sadomasochistic affinity between dominant and submissives is prominent in a society functioning at this level.
- o Narcissistic level of grandiosity, self-mirroring, entitlement, contempt, envy, sadism, headline intelligence, and the Nobel prize complex. Narcissistic societies empower narcissistic leaders. They lean toward autocracy and are permeated by prejudice.
- o Average Normality potentiates the capacity for sound judgment, objectivity, concern, and respect for self and others. Societies functioning at this level are civilized, cooperative and respectful at least for the sake of maintaining politeness, peace, and the gentility of social etiquette.
- o Fifth Level of Self-integrity and Decency offers the highest degree of freedom defined by creativity, originality, emotional stability, solid judgment, optimal personality organization, outstanding morality, and respect for others as separate beings that have the right to their feelings and opinions. Only leaders with high moral standards and integrity can function at this level.
Each of these levels is a dimension. Both individuals and societies can progress or regress within and between levels of functioning. Psychologically resilient, healthier entities, whether these are represented by individuals or societies will take advantage of this continuum to progress to the abundance of creativity and self-actualization.
Understanding people and societies in terms of levels of functioning is more accurate in encompassing the complexity of human and social psychostructure.
Different manifestations of the same emotion at various stages of psychological progressions and regressions can illustrate the human voyage within the hierarchy of psychopathology.
Anhedonia characterizes the psychotic level. It is transformed into depression at the borderline level. It undergoes another metamorphosis into pure sadness at the higher levels of average normalcy, and creativity.
Persecutory terror is characteristic of the psychotic level. It branches out into an amalgam of fear and rage at the borderline level. It further transmutes into choleric indignation and fury into the narcissistic configuration. It is transformed into conflicted ambivalence in the neurotic part of the hierarchy that leads to average normalcy. It evolves into caution at the highest level.
Borderline self-destructiveness and masochism are transformed into sadism, rage, and vindictiveness against others at the narcissistic level. Average normalcy further refines the emotion into assertiveness. Anger is used productively at the highest level. It is channelled into energy that mobilizes progress and establishes balance and justice for all.
An array of labels cannot interweave and synthesize the multidimensional Gestalt provided by the pyramid of levels of functioning that elucidate different aspects of an individual or a society. Understanding people in terms of a summary of progressions and regressions within this hierarchical character stratification simultaneously analyzes an individual or a society from different perspectives.
The Beautification Metamorphosis Illusion
The second study relates to female issues and how social norms have traditionally conditioned women to conceal their feelings behind a façade of social correctness and acceptance. The anti-ageing industry offers solutions that aspire to resolve the emotional rollercoaster of ageing by changing the female physique. The complexity of hormonal imbalances is misunderstood as deficits rather than aberrant protein communications that determine female emotional fluctuations. Clinical studies on trauma-based cosmetic procedures assess their results with straightforward transparent questionnaires prone to reality distortion, subjectivity, or lying. They present validity and reliability issues and understate long term side effects that include inflammation.
Women are intrigued by the potential “beautification metamorphosis” following liposuction, lasers, RF treatments for fat removal, vaginal and facial rejuvenation, etc. They endure the pain and suffering conforming to the demands of a narcissistic society that values youth and beauty. The inflammatory long-term effects of trauma-based procedures are ignored, the way the narcissistic armour disregards the psychological distortion it fosters. Such techniques have the pernicious potential of accumulating minimal physical wounds that can ultimately undermine health and immunity.
The Venom of Trumpism
The phenomenon of Trumpism was selected to illustrate the narcissistic trends manifested in any society. Fanatic partisans were hypnotized by the dazzle of D.J. Trump’s opulence and grandiose pledge of endless winning. He did not have to be the champion of wealth to convince them. All he had to do was reiterate his successes unstoppably until everyone around him was brainwashed. He became the symbol of the American dream. His mesmerized supporters could almost taste prosperity in their immediate future. They were infatuated by his bravado, his omnipotence, his sovereignty. He was their reflection in a cosmic mirror venting thoughts and feelings that had been secretly fuming inside them for years: they were special, they deserved better, America belonged to them.
Trumpism precipitated reality distortion, prejudice, misogyny, racism, and doggedly sustained misinformation. The narcissism inherent in Trumpism engineered paranoia and sadomasochism which subsequently transformed the Trumpists’ devotion into obsession. Trumpists callously disregarded their safety and engaged in riots, struggling to reinstate their leader in power, disbelieving his electoral failure and substantial loss. Their only truth was the big lie.
A big lie presented with the utmost confidence is never questioned. The average person would never dare to utter such colossal untruths. Outlandish falsities professed by supreme beings are usually accepted as reality because they are innervated by group dynamics that amplify boldness and emotional contagion. They are also empowered by the principles of conformity and obedience. Narcissistic or psychopathic leaders gain their supporters’ trust by capitalizing on their formidable existence that places the stamp of truth on anything they say irrespective of its veracity. Blinded by D.J Trump’s stardom, his disciples never realized that superhuman humans only exist in movies. They merged with their idol and imagined themselves as the indomitable Capitol rioters that would change the constitution. They attacked their compatriots without remorse or compassion ever entering their minds.
As a crowd, Trumpists regressed to a level of basic instincts drenched with aggression and the righteousness of deprivation. On January 6, 2021, they unleashed their sadism against anyone who did not agree with them. This was an anarchical, rough copy of the Third Reich minus the patriotism and the German fastidiousness which admittedly resulted in far greater atrocities.
Trumpists violently assaulted police officers and other Americans who had chosen reality over misinformation. They claimed that the monstrosity of attacking the Capitol was patriotic, disregarding the actual meaning of the word. Patriots do not attack their own. They were driven by headline intelligence and a toddler’s immaturity who cannot take no for an answer combined with the illusion of control. Hence, they ended up injuring themselves and others, inevitably accumulating legal problems that eventually disrupted their lives.
The dicephalic amphisbaena that bonds sadism and masochism in one hideous entity represents both an intrapsychic and an interpersonal vicious circle. Sadism galvanizes violence. Masochism entices assailants into the battleground to endanger their lives. Trumpists dived into a tumultuous violent protest to empower their celebrity superstar, driven both by sadism, and a masochistic disregard for their safety. Sadism was at the forefront, shadowing the masochistic self-destructive tendencies in the background.
The COVID-19 pandemic may not be the worst enemy that the magnificent American society has ever faced. The real danger may turn out to be its inherent narcissism that fostered Trumpism.