How Much of Religion is About Doing Good and How Much About Harm
In my long life (I'm ancient) I cannot recall a time when there was so much discussion in the popular press about metal traits of people. Sometimes this is called mental health but I think it is more accurate to call it mental or personality quirks.
We all know some of this interest comes from our President who daily exhibits quirks and behaviors mostly not seen in our circle of family and friends. The President's personality traits and quirks remind me of a handful of similar people I have known, both alive and now dead.
It is dicey to talk about the personality faults of others. I'm not trained. In addition, I'm not without faults and can use some improvement. The link from Scientific American opens the door to some elementary understanding of what is called "dark" personality traits. There have been attempts to detect the presence and extent of the "D-factor".
This is about what we often call severe ego, self centeredness or an old term, delusions of grandeur. It is always about harming others for one's own heightened sense of satisfaction and self worth. The link includes a definition, the basic tendency to maximize one's own utility at the expense of others, accompanied by beliefs that serve as justifications for one's valevolent behaviors.
Today those on the receiving end of the religious right's non stop hammer are women who have abortions and gay people. Could it be these are in play because of a group of conservative religious people feel the need to "maximize one's own utility at the expense of others" and justify this self centered behavior by a belief a fertilized cell is a human being and that the Bible condemns as sinners homosexual people?
The president has a textbook case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. You don't have to be a psychiatrist to diagnose it -- just look at the description from places like WebMD and you'll see it fits him like a glove. He also has undeniable charisma, but the problem with adding that to his NPD is that it has enabled him to become the leader of a cult.
ReplyDeleteAnd the problem with cults is that when their leaders die, they often morph into religions!
Much of contemporary Christianity in the USA is not about doing good, but rather, it's about power. The religious right fundamentalists currently love Trump (despite all his Unchristian behavior) because he is allowing them to impose their dogma on unwilling others in the guise of "religious freedom."
The Founders, who wrote the secular constitution after seeing the horrors of religion-related mayhem in Europe, are probably spinning in their graves!
I liked that post, Beasec. The desire to belittle and say harmful things about others for his own pleasure is central to understanding the President.
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