Ep 25: The Malignant Narcissist's Mind | The Stairway to Evil

In this episode of The Personality Couch Podcast, we (licensed clinical psychologists Doc Bok and Doc Fish) delve into the complex and dark characteristics of malignant narcissism, exploring its origins, characteristics, and using examples from popular culture, particularly the film ‘American Psycho’. Citing Eric Fromm’s original work on defining evil, we discuss his triad of: necrophilious orientation, incestuous symbiosis, and malignant narcissism. Using connections to historical figures and Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho,’ we briefly explore what this triad looks like. After drawing on research across the decades to define characteristics of malignant narcissism, we further discuss the spectrum of antisocial behavior, aggression, sadism, and paranoia prominent in these types. While discussing how malignant narcissists operate in personal relationships and positions of power, we end by exploring the overlap of malignant narcissism and psychopathy.

Chapters

• 00:41 History of Malignant Narcissism’s Path to Evil
• 01:16 Fromm’s Triad of Evil Overview
• 03:35 Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho Example
• 06:23 Early Research on Malignant Narcissism
• 09:24 The 4 Characteristics of Malignant Narcissism
• 09:43 Symptom 1: Narcissistic Core
• 12:36 Symptom 2: Antisocial Behavior
• 14:27 Malignant Narcissism vs Antisocial Personality Disorder
• 16:25 Symptom 3: Sadism or Aggression
• 21:58 Malignant Narcissism in Relationships
• 23:01 Symptom 4: Paranoia and Verge of Psychosis
• 25:02 Malignant Narcissism vs. Psychopathy
• 26:41 Where We Find Them and Why We Follow Them

Additional Podcast References

• Fromm, E. (1964). The heart of man. Harper & Row.
• Itzkowitz, S., & Howell, E. F. (Eds.). (2019). Psychoanalysts, psychologists and psychiatrists discuss psychopathy and human evil. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429262425
• Kernberg, O. F. (1984). Severe personality disorders: Psychotherapeutic strategies. Yale University Press.
• Kernberg, O. F. (1989). The narcissistic personality disorder and the differential: Diagnosis of antisocial behavior. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 12(3), 553-570. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0193-953X(18)30414-3
• Lazaro, Y., Mesian, I., Perez, A., & Madrazo, I. (2016). Malignant narcissism: The notorious case of Jean-Claude Romand. European Psychiatry, 33, S630–S631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.1865
• Ronningstam, E. F. (2005b). Narcissistic personality disorder: A review. In M. Maj, H. S., Akiskal, J. E. Mezzich, & A. Okasha (Eds.), Personality disorders, (pp. 277-348). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/0470090383.ch4
• Tylim, I. (2001). American Psycho: Malignant narcissism on the screen. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 18(4), 737–742. https://doi.org/10.1037/0736-9735.18.4.737
• Wood, R. (2022). A study of malignant narcissism: Personal and professional insights. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003246923