Cosmic Narcissism: A New Psychological Disorder

Pat Robertson after receiving his diagnosis of Cosmic Narcissistic Personality Disorder

We are all familiar with people who think they are god’s gift to humanity and who routinely exploit others for their own personal gain. Psychologists typically consider such character traits to fall within the broader category known as narcissism. In the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders), the latest diagnostic bible put out by the American Psychological Association, nine specific traits and/or behaviors are listed as potential qualifiers for a formal diagnosis of what is called Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). People with NPD feel that they are supremely special in relation to those around them. They typically derive this sense of superiority from idealizing their own superficial accomplishments and/or characteristics (e.g., wealth, social status, special talents, etc).

The goal of this paper is to propose the existence of another group of people who potentially display the same narcissistic traits as those with NPD, but who do so in some important, qualitatively different ways. Instead of confining their narcissism to the superficial, interpersonal context, individuals in this group feel superior to others primarily based on certain religious or spiritual convictions. Narcissists of this type derive a grandiose sense of self-importance from being superior to others in the eyes of an imagined supreme being. Such individuals are thus more concerned with being important on a higher plane, or in the context of the wider universe. The purpose of this paper is to argue for the inclusion of this group within the current psychological literature. I will henceforth refer to this group as Cosmic Narcissists.

An analysis of Cosmic Narcissism reveals that this group likely displays most, if not all of the conditions that currently qualify for a formal diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. There are, however, many subtle differences with how these traits are manifested within this specific population. A review of the nine criteria listed in the DSM-IV for the diagnosis of NPD will be followed by an examination of how each of these criteria may or may not also qualify as accurate diagnostic indicators for Cosmic Narcissism. This examination marks an essential first step in addressing this potentially new psychiatric syndrome, and is the primary goal of this paper.

DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic Criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance
2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
3. believes that he or she is "special" and can only be understood by, or should associate with, people (or institutions) who are also "special" or of high status.
4. requires excessive admiration
5. has a sense of entitlement
6. is interpersonally exploitative
7. lacks empathy
8. is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her
9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

Cosmic Narcissistic Personality Disorder (An Assessment)

The cosmic narcissist displays a grandiose sense of self-importance (criteria 1) as witnessed by the rigid belief that their particular brand of religious faith is ultimately the only correct one, which is taken as evidence that they have been granted first-class status in the eyes of a supreme being, the only opinion of which truly concerns them. This sense of importance is often displayed outwardly by arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes (criteria 9). Extreme examples of such outward displays of haughtiness can be witnessed in the behavior of certain televangelists and Christian fundamentalists (e.g., Benny Hinn, Pat Robertson, Joel Osteen, etc). Most cosmic narcissists, however, display such arrogant behaviors in more subtle ways. A possible exception to this rule is frequently witnessed during circumstances where the individual’s faith is being directly challenged by others.

A certain percentage of cosmic narcissists attempt to hide their grandiose sense of self-importance by actively engaging in behavior that most interpret as acts of piety, compassion for others, and/or selflessness. In such cases, the individual’s actions should rarely be taken at face value. When a cosmic narcissist is doing charity work for someone ‘in need,’ for example, they are implicitly putting themselves above those who they claim to be helping in a selfless manner. This type of ‘charity’ is often guided by the cosmic narcissist’s unconscious motivation to inflate his/her sense of self-importance. In such cases, charity simply masquerades as ego boosting.

The current DSM states that narcissists may be preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love (criteria 2). Although the traits held by cosmic narcissists often overlap with those diagnosed with NPD proper, a narcissist of the purely cosmic variety rarely demonstrates intense fantasies of success, power, brilliance, or beauty. They are, however, usually quite preoccupied with fantasies of ideal love. The deity of their choosing is supposed to represent the one truly pure and ideal form of love in existence, a love which most would claim cannot exist within the human realm. Although a purely ideal love bestowed by a supreme being should be unconditional by nature, many of the actions taken by cosmic narcissists are claimed to be motivated by the desire to obtain, or to hold onto this imagined ideal love from god. Such individuals also seem motivated to behave in ways that demonstrate their own (human) ideal love for god, despite holding the aforementioned contradictory belief that humans are incapable of such love. Consequently, such actions as: questioning god, growing angry with him, or simply not glorifying him in commonly prescribed ways, can all cause the cosmic narcissist considerable stress due to the guilt that often accompanies their continual failure to demonstrate a capacity for perfect love.

Perhaps the most commonly witnessed trait of the cosmic narcissist is the belief that he or she is "special" and can only be understood by, or should associate with, people (or institutions) who are also "special" or of high status (criteria 3). As mentioned earlier, people with strong religious convictions believe that they are supremely special, and this belief is fostered by the notion that a supreme being favors their group over all others. Individuals belonging to other groups then-- particularly to such groups that have substantially divergent religious beliefs-- are subsequently viewed as inferior. This sense of superiority harbored by cosmic narcissists often leads them to require excessive admiration (criteria 4) from others, particularly from those in different religious groups. When such admiration from the ‘inferior’ other(s) is not received, the cosmic narcissist’s extreme sense of entitlement (criteria 5) is left ungratified. When other groups (again, particularly rival religious groups) fail to demonstrate sufficient admiration for the cosmic narcissist’s special status, and thus neglect his right to special entitlements, an urge to retaliate often results. The potential for catastrophe that can ensue when the cosmic narcissist’s needs are not met is perhaps summed up best by the late George Carlin, in his “My god has a bigger dick than your god” scenario.

Cosmic narcissists, while rarely being as blatantly interpersonally exploitative (criteria 6) as those with NPD, still often display this characteristic in the context of promoting their religious ideologies (i.e., service work), for example. In most cases, when a cosmic narcissist is attempting to recruit an outsider into his religious organization, there is a hint of exploitation that takes place. In the most extreme forms, this can be witnessed in certain cult recruitment strategies, where members prey on specific types of vulnerable individuals that they know can be easily manipulated (i.e., brainwashed). Even in the more benign forms, however, convincing others to join one’s religious group or subscribe to one’s belief system still represent forms of exploitation, in that, again, the individual engaged in such solicitation is implicitly gaining a heightened sense of power and superiority in their ability to persuade others of the truth behind their beliefs. When such solicitation is successful (i.e., gaining a new member), the cosmic narcissist grows increasingly confident with regard to the righteousness of his actions and the truth behind his convictions. He is thereby able to even further convince himself of the special uniqueness he holds as a person; not only within the human world, but also within the greater universe.

Most religious folk pride themselves on their capacity for empathy with others. Many argue that most of the saintly individuals (e.g., Mother Theresa, Mahatma Ghandi) that human history has thus far produced have served as exemplars of the remarkable capacity for human empathy. Of course, on philosophical grounds, many would argue against this idea (see Nietzsche), calling into question whether pure empathy is even attainable. [This argument, although important to the discussion will not be elaborated any further, as it was previously alluded to when I suggested that charitable works often masquerade as methods for increasing one’s sense of power.] In the case of the cosmic narcissist, however, a lack of empathy (criteria 7) is most clearly illustrated in their dealings with individuals from other religious groups. An example of this can be witnessed by Christians of all stripes who claim to adhere to the word of Christ (e.g., love thy neighbor, condemn the sin and not the sinner, etc), but who nonetheless consider all Muslims and members of some other religious groups to be inferior human beings. I have personally heard many devout Christians divulge their secret wish to annihilate the entire Arab world, so as to permanently remove the scourge of Islam from our planet once and for all. This is a typical statement made by many cosmic narcissists, particularly in the U.S.

The psychological understanding of narcissistic dynamics teaches us that all narcissistic traits and behaviors are, at the core, defenses against deeply embedded feelings of inferiority. Nonetheless, these defenses are often very effective at keeping unpleasant emotions at bay, which helps explain how people with NPD and Cosmic Narcissism can often cruise along through life relatively unscathed while maintaining their inflated sense of superiority and entitlement. This ability to cruise through life, however, almost always leads to a mental breakdown of sorts after the individual incurs a particularly severe ‘narcissistic injury,’ or blow to one’s inflated self-esteem.

Long before such a breakdown occurs, however, narcissistic people can reveal some of these unconscious inferiority feelings by being outwardly envious of others (condition 8a), usually of those who they view as competition and thus feel threatened by. Narcissists also frequently believe that others are envious of them (condition 8b), which is a reflection of their defenses working in the most appropriate fashion (e.g., “If she did not like my performance it is only because she is jealous of me”). Cosmic narcissists display the aforementioned traits of being envious of others and assuming others are envious of them in similar ways that classic narcissists do. For example, a cosmic narcissist who identifies as a born-again Christian may feel envy and rage towards a practiced Buddhist monk after watching him do some weird meditation stuff and then talk about enlightenment. He is unaware, however, that this envy is rooted in his unconscious insecurities regarding his own religious convictions; insecurities that, if ever made conscious, would cause him to question the absolute legitimacy of his chosen faith. If this same Buddhist were to offend the cosmic narcissist by questioning some aspect of his faith, he may then defensively conclude that the Buddhist is being antagonistic simply because he is envious of his special relationship with Christ. Such a conclusion would help this individual feel more superior to his new religious rival.

This paper has put forth the argument that a new clinical syndrome exists that should be considered as a subcategory of the Narcissistic Personality Disorder as defined by the DSM-IV. If five of the nine criteria listed in the DSM can qualify one for a diagnosis of NPD, the same rule should apply for Cosmic Narcissistic Personality Disorder (CND) given the evidence put forth here, which suggests that all nine criteria may be appropriate for diagnosing this newly proposed clinical disorder. To confine narcissistic disturbances of personality solely to the interpersonal realm may seem prudent, but could constitute a substantial oversight within the current psychological diagnostic system. A differentiation should not be made, for example, between the individual with NPD who sees himself as superior to all individuals around him because of his remarkable talents and good looks, and the person with Cosmic Narcissistic Personality Disorder (CNPD) who thinks himself superior to most others because of the belief that an imagined deity specifically favors him (and his religious beliefs). Both individuals can rightly be deemed narcissistic, as they both have exaggerated feelings of superiority over others. The only difference between the two is the primary method by which they establish and maintain this sense of superiority. These differing reasons should not be the basis of diagnosing one group as opposed to another.

Afterword

It is time for religious fundamentalism to be regarded as a severe and potentially dangerous mental condition. I will be accepting donations to help advance this agenda. Please contact me if interested in making a contribution.

~Wolf