WICKED WEDNESDAY
Villains with personality disorders are fascinating. DeeAnna has such an interesting take on it. Read on!
Narcissus. Remember him? Handsome young hunter whose
father was a god and mother a water nymph? In one popular version of this piece
of Greek mythology, (there are many), the poor boy spurned an advance from
Echo, a mountain nymph. She was so devastated at being rejected, she faded away
until nothing was left of her but a whisper. To enact revenge for his cruelty,
the goddess Nemesis lured Narcissus to a pool of water. He had never seen
himself and was so enamored he couldn’t bear to leave. And there he pined away—a
flower which bears his name springing up in the spot where he died.
Adding insult to injury, his name is associated with a
serious disorder, narcissistic personality disorder or NPD. NPD, along with
other personality disorders usually obscure deep self-esteem issues manifesting
from childhood. Unfortunately, the people hurt most by the disorder are the
spouses, children, other relatives, and coworkers. These people are subjected
to rage, lies, threats, and punishing manipulation.
Of course, not every jerk or prima donna hogging the
mirror is a narcissist. But people with personality disorders are more common
than people think. I know a couple of them personally and stay away from the
toxic fallout. Following is an example of an NPD in the making.
A few years ago, a writer friend and I
took turns selling our books at a weekly farmer’s market. A local cable station
sent a crew to interview some of the vendors. When they got to our booth a
woman with a handsome boy of about twelve walked up. The woman watched the
interview, but the boy sidled into the back of our booth, making sure he was
behind my friend, and full in the shot. He didn’t photo bomb the shot, he
lifted his chin and moved like he was posing for a model shoot. He was dead
serious about being seen and it was way creepy. Without knowing the family, I
could tell they were in trouble with this kid. He just assumed it would be okay
for him to be in a place he was not allowed and take advantage of something
that had nothing to do with him. All the name of being seen and appreciated.
NPDs are big people users and control is important.
Faced with a person who doesn’t see things their way, the afflicted person
feels victimized. Any negative result from the disagreement is always the
other person’s fault and the victim either slides into a rage or walks
away in disgust. There is rarely a middle ground, or compromise. The person in
conflict cannot win.
Once diagnosed by a medical professional, and the
personality disorder is on record, the diagnosed person will often fight to
have the entry expunged Their disorder does not allow them to believe there is
anything wrong with them. It’s a misdiagnosis or outright lie.
Even if a person believes they have the disorder, they
rarely get help. The road to a healthier mental life is long. Besides
medication, years and years of psychological therapy is necessary.
This is the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Assigning a
personality disorder to a villain is tricky. They can flow from scorched earth
to mellow and back again with charming efficiency.
Étienne turns full face toward us, and I
have to admit he’s classically handsome. Reminds me of a trip I took with Raif
to Florence where we saw the recently restored Michelangelo’s David. Étienne is
tall with dark, curly hair in need of a trim, chiseled features, and a nice,
lean, muscular body. As if some poor milquetoast of a guy unwillingly donated
his share of maleness so the young gardener would be blessed with extra. I can
see why Rippa is keyed up.
I don’t feel as generous. His outgoing
vibe is one of posing. Of cocky assurance that he is the center of interest.
If you'd like to read book one in the series, you can find Angel Falls here: AMAZON LINK
- Bio: DeeAnna is a freelance editor and travel agent for happy endings (romantic
suspense, women’s fiction, children's picture books, and mystery author). She writes and teaches for the love of it, has never met a dog she did not want to pet or a pie she did not want to taste. She tries to live life without props.
Narcissists are the worst. You can’t argue with them nor can you have a friendly debate with them. It’s either their way or the highway.
ReplyDeleteBeware dating a narcissist, for IT will invariably snark about you wanting a bit of attention, "Vanity, Vanity, thy name is YOU, Baby!" Run! Great blog, DeeAnna!
ReplyDeleteMmmmmmmmmelinda
Great blog. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting post!
ReplyDelete