Has anyone read Irene Tanzmans Adventures of an Altruistic Narcissist? Worth checking out imo.
She also has an informative blog.
She writes:
No Goodness in Malignant Narcissists and Psychopaths: Watch OutPurely Bad PeopleSome people believe that every person has some good in them. You just have to tap into their goodness. Anne Frank said in her diary, “I still believe that in spite of everything, that people are really good at heart.” But Hitler’s flying monkeys killed her and several million others. Jews. Homosexuals. People with disabilities. Hitler tortured and killed them. If you ask me, Hitler and his SS were purely bad. However, I do believe that Anne was correct about most people being good at heart. She was just wrong about the generalization “people are good at heart.” There are exceptions to the rule.
I recently wrote a novel. The main character in my book is a charlatan without empathy or conscience. He uses people. He destroys lives and careers in order to secure glory and attention for himself. Those in power believe that he is the most wonderful altruistic man who ever walked the earth. My charlatan perplexed some of my writing colleagues. Shouldn’t my protagonist be multi-dimensional? Shouldn’t he have some goodness in him? My answer is a resounding “no.” People like this exist. This is truly how they act. They have no goodness. They are selfish to the core. Other people exist merely for their use. They use others as tools to get what they want. They don’t really know what it is to actually connect with another human being. At certain points in my book, I try to make the reader feel sorry for my protagonist, but he is a purely selfish, deceitful, and evil character. All bad.
Good PeopleMost people feel good about being good. Some people look to religion, codes of law, or other sources to fully understand the nuances of what it takes to be a good person. Some reflect on how to be better people. Better partners. Better parents. Better children. Better friends. Better employers or employees. Many believe that bringing goodness into our world is their purpose in life. Some struggle against inclinations to be selfish, greedy, or just plain bad. Some of us seem bad or do bad as we lose our way. Most of us would not commit murder or steal even if there were no laws or religions. The fiber of our being tells us that these things are wrong. Many of us would never just use a person for our advantage and throw them aside. We want to be with other people so that we can connect with them as human beings. We have a hard time fathoming that others may have brains that are not set up with a conscience, empathy, or goodness. Surely good people are bad sometimes. Greedy sometimes. Selfish sometimes. Hurt others sometimes. I believe that most of us are good people as Anne Frank described.
The Purely Bad are DangerousMalignant narcissists and psychopaths are dangerous. They are predators. They are deceitful. It is to our advantage to know that they exist among us. We need to learn more about narcissists and psychopaths, so that we stop suffering at their hands. We need to be able to identify these individuals so that our workplaces can be happy fulfilling places and vulnerable populations such as those with special needs do not suffer at their hands.Sometimes a person without empathy is called a psychopath, sociopath, or narcissist. A psychopath and a sociopath are basically the same thing. All psychopaths are narcissists, but not all narcissists are psychopaths.
A sociopath/psychopath is a person who is suffering from antisocial personality disorder. They lack the moral responsibility towards the society. A narcissist is a person who is overly self-involved and usually vain and selfish, as well. Both of these extreme personalities lack empathy.
Psychopaths may be hardened criminals. Con men. Serial killers. Sex offenders. Terrorists. Malignant narcissists may look like normal law abiding citizens. They might be politicians, teachers, social workers, executives, physicians, etc. They are often in leadership positions. They are known to crave attention and admiration, so they will flock to places where they can get these things.
The human brain is very complicated. The more complicated something is, the more likely it is that something may go wrong.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/goodness-malignant-narcissists-psychopathswatch-out-irene-tanzmanUnderstanding Covert NarcissistsAn overt narcissist can be easy to spot. They are selfish and grandiose. They use people. They have no empathy. They might belittle someone in order to make themselves seem bigger. They will show you that they are narcissists. A covert narcissist may be harder to spot. A covert narcissist has all of the characteristics of an overt narcissist, but the covert type has learned that it is to his/her advantage to create a façade. Below is a video of Ross Rosenberg explaining covert narcissism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vi6GT8TMm8
