Malignant Narcissism According To Erich Fromm

Malignant narcissism was defined by Erich Fromm in 1964. He described it as a condition in which a person is characterized by bombastic, antisocial, and hostile behavior. Its main feature is to dehumanize every scenario in which it is found, be it family or work. The lack of empathy and his Machiavellianism could certainly create great havoc.

Nowadays, when we talk about the narcissistic personality, it is common that the same images almost always come to mind. That of the classic superficial character taking selfies or, perhaps, that of that friend who always prioritizes herself leaving others aside. However, these behaviors go much further. Often, we are facing a disorder in which different subtypes can appear.

Erich Fromm told us about what, in his opinion, was the ‘quintessence of evil’. As a witness to the events of the Second World War, this psychoanalyst, social psychologist and humanist philosopher of German Jewish origin, wanted to lay the foundations of what, according to his own beliefs, could rise as the most serious pathology of all. That where one is capable of committing violent acts.

It should be noted that, today, from the field of neuroscience and psychology, they offer us much more varied definitions when it comes to understanding or explaining evil. However, Fromm was a pioneer in his attempt to make it clear to us that narcissism is the germ of many behaviors harmful to humanity. From a clinical point of view, it is undoubtedly very interesting to know this theory.

Characteristics of malignant narcissism

There is a first aspect that we must consider. As explained to us in a study carried out at the University of Michigan, United States, by Dr. Goldner-Vukov, malignant narcissism is a serious condition. However, psychiatric literature and research has forgotten it for decades since Erich Fromm defined it.

According to this 2010 work, it is a personality disorder with devastating consequences both for the family nucleus and for society itself. Now, in recent years we are hearing this term more and more when we see how behaviors appear on the political scene that, according to experts, could be attributed to malignant narcissism.

One example, John Gartner, a psychotherapist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and known for writing biographies on political acquaintances, pointed out something striking. In his opinion, Donald Trump would present this disorder. Furthermore, something that he does not hesitate to point out is that this condition has no treatment whatsoever. It is irreversible.

Let us therefore see what characteristics this condition presents.

Extreme narcissism and antisocial behavior

Narcissistic personality disorder is within the group B personality disorders in the DSM-5 ( Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ). Now, something that from the field of psychology and psychiatry we know well is that no personality profile or disorder fits perfectly into a category.

Generally, traits of other conditions appear. Hence, malignant narcissism is a combination of the most pronounced narcissism and that antisocial behavior so common in psychopathy. The most common traits are the following:

• These people show marked grandeur.
• Lack of empathy.
• Lack of remorse.
• Impulsiveness.
• Disregard for the rights of others.
• Tendency to deception and destructive behavior.

Malignant narcissism does not need reinforcement or outside attention

A common characteristic of narcissism is the need to always be the center of attention. Their low self-esteem demands external reinforcement, validation and always being that presence to be admired. However, in malignant narcissism the same does not happen. This type of personality has fully assumed its superiority and grandeur. In them there are no doubts and the only thing they seek is to position themselves in a resounding way wherever they are.

Erich Fromm described them as follows: “They feel powerful because of those qualities that, according to them, were given to them at birth. I am great and superior to you, therefore I do not need to prove anything. Nor do I need to interact with anyone or make any effort. Maintaining the image of my greatness, I distance myself more and more from reality ”.

Paranoid thinking and sadism

The psychiatrist Otto Kernberg, an Austrian-born American psychoanalyst, also studied malignant narcissism. According to him, this profile is defined by the following characteristics:

• Paranoid thinking. They often tend to think that there are people who are going against them. His dichotomous thinking organizes the world between those who support him and those who do not. Hence, he distrusts anyone who is different, who opposes him, who does not conform to his rigid vision of reality.

• Sadism. This profile does not hesitate to make use of cruelty, contempt, scathing criticism, manipulation and humiliation. Now, the most striking thing about this is not only their behavior, but the fact that they often enjoy carrying out these acts.

Evil narcissists just need the right circumstances to become tyrants

Knowing this, the question that many of us may come to mind is: are evil narcissists really dangerous? The answer is clear and forceful: yes. Having a parent, a partner, a manager or even a co-worker with this profile creates serious havoc.

An example, a few days ago  a group of American psychologists and psychiatrists once again questioned the mental stability of the president of the United States. The term malignant narcissism was once again put on the table, to reflect on the danger this could pose. Now, for many, at the moment, Trump is nothing more than the most prolific cyberbully in history. His tweets show it.

However, experts point out that malignant narcissism only needs certain circumstances for the true inner tyrant to emerge. Something that, without a doubt, we can see in North Korea with Kim Jong-Un. Therefore, let us keep this psychological condition in mind and focus on it the same importance that Erich Fromm gave it in his day.