Description: Ok so, I am going to talk about Narcissists but as many of us are not entirely familiar with the myth of Narcissus and, regardless, Narcissus did not live in the modern world, so we need another example to hold in mind as we consider the role that the generation of social chaos plays… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Personality Disorders
First Impressions and the Dark Tetrad: The Foundations of “Creepiness”
Description: You may recall, if you are regular reader of this blog, that I have written before about the Dark Triad of personality traits (Psychopathy, Machiavellianism and Narcissism, a lovely combination). Recent research has added Sadism to the list and created the Dark Tetrad (social interaction gets better and better!). Some recent research has done… Read more »
Is There a Useful Psychology of Mass Shooters?
Description: As I contemplated whether to choose to blog on this particular topic I ran across the article linked below and while reading through it, for a number of associative reasons (I suspect), I was reminded of a song by Canadian Blues artist Lest Quitzau called Home on the Range. It contains the line “Welcome… Read more »
Criminal Brains: Opportunties and ethical pitfalls of looking beyond minds
Description: Have you ever watched an episode of the TV show Criminal Minds which fictionally focusses on the activities of an FBI behavioral analysis unit that hunts psychopaths? In the show there are many discussions of the sorts of developmental histories that amplify some psychopathic behavioral tendencies and of the sorts of things that can… Read more »
The Psychologies of Sycophants and Narcissists: Historical Shifts, Developmental Histories and Clear and Present Dangers
Description: What is a sycophant? Well, colloquially we sometimes use the term “suck up” as in “that person is a suck up” or “that person is really sucking up to the boss”. But what is going on in situations like that psychologically? There are a couple of hints for possible hypotheses in the pictures posted… Read more »
Rorschach Redux
Description: A little while back I posted on an article that was looking at new ways to use the Rorschach “Inkblot” Test. In that post and in the accompanying article the discussion was somewhat skeptical about whether or not the Rorschach “Inkblot” Test has any valid place in current clinical, psychiatric or forensic practice. I… Read more »
Toxic Bosses: Find Out About the Dark Side of Personality
Description: Having a boss who is “certifiable” is clearly not going to be good for one’s wellbeing and mental health but what collections of boss personality traits are the most toxic? Well what comes to mind in relation to the term “dark triad of personality traits?” Darth Vader? … not far off the mark actually…. Read more »
Family Gatherings as Opportunities to Reflect on Developmental Baggage
Description: So are you (were you) looking forward to spending time with your family over the holiday break? If not or if you were reminded about the things you find difficult about being back together with your family what did you do? Sometimes being taken back to your childhood or adolescence by the social context… Read more »
Selfies as Symptoms?
Description: What do you think about people to post a lot of Selfies on social media sites? The title of the article linked below hints at a causal relationship between the taking of Selfies and problems in one’s relationships. Read the article and maybe have a look at the research article it refers to and… Read more »
Cat Ownership and Schizophrenia: Not Straightforward
Description: So what is the first thing that pops to mind when you think of “cat people”? Crazy? Weeellll it’s a bit more complicated. Read this discussion by Andre Picard of an article suggesting that childhood cat ownership increases the chances that one will show symptoms of schizophrenia in adulthood. Source: Andre Picard Column Globe… Read more »
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