Narcissism and The Paranormal

[Fedora Chronicles]

Just got done listening to the latest podcast (I heard the same show three times, guys!) and the question was brought up, what's the deal with narcissism?

What is it and how does it play a role in The Paranormal?

I have my theories, but I want you guys to have a chance to say something before I bloviate.

 

[Orville]

maybe narcissistic personalities are more vulnerable to being deceived by what ever intelligence is behind these different phenomenon?
Also your A typical narcissist or sociopath is in by no means going to let their ego ever become comfortable with the idea that there may be things that are out of their realm of understanding. If I were a trickster archetype then those would be my first target.

 

[Wade]

I guess the paranormal has a special attraction its for the narcissistic personality...Although I didn't finish the last podcast so I'm not sure what context that fedora happened to catch this aspect.
But I think you could find this type of personality in any field.

Narcissists need to know that they matter and their voice counts and even bears more weight than others even to the extent of tromping all over someone elses voice, this probably happens even in a horticulture forum.

If there is a preponderance of this type of personality in a paranormal forum it is probably because the field itself is based on theories and conjecture less than science as with science there is arguably less room for opinions?

 

[Randall]

Like many other facets of the paranormal, Narcissus is a character in ancient mythology, but the personality traits associated with narcissism certainly aren't unique to any particular area of interest, occupation or pursuit. So I'm a bit curious as to why we need to focus on it with respect to the paranormal? It certainly seems to manifest itself on both sides of the fence. By that I mean that I wouldn't be surprised to see some narcissistic skeptic exhibit the same traits, perhaps even as a projection reaction, using their skepticism as a rationale to belittle those who have an interest in the paranormal, and neither would I be surprised to see some self-proclaimed galactic ambassador deceive people for the purpose of extracting money out of them.

​

 

[Wade]

Those posts above by ufology helped illustrate my post...which of course was more important than anyone else's...It would seem social media is as big a draw to the narcissistic personality than paranormal phenomena would be.

Social media is as much as pushing your views as it is sharing them.

 

[Orville]

Have you ever thought about how narcissistic we are all here on the Paracast forums? I mean we do all post our thought and assume other people want to hear them, and probably a lot of us assume our perspective is the only true one that matters!! lol

 

[Wade]

I was actually thinking about that after I posted my second entry. I do have a twitter account but I use it mostly to mock some of the news or trending items that come across like Trump or the Kardashians and to be quite honest it is self serving. I don't give a patootie how many followers I have, I do my best to block a lot of them, but it's always rewarding to see a favorite or re-tweet. So i guess there is a little narcissism in all of us but the defining factor may be how obnoxious we are about it.

 

[mike]

Its important to make this distinction

Primary narcissism
Freud suggested that exclusive self-love might not be as abnormal as previously thought and might even be a common component in the human psyche. He argued that narcissism "is the libidinal complement to the egoism of the instinct of self-preservation," or, more simply, the desire and energy that drives one’s instinct to survive. He referred to this as primary narcissism.[16]

Except in the sense of primary narcissism or healthy self-love, narcissism is usually considered a problem in a person's or group's relationships with self and others. Narcissism is not the same as egocentrism.

Narcissism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Healthy narcissism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


In a separate but related distinction, 'Michael Maccoby, in his book The Productive Narcissist, makes a case for the positive side of a narcissistic character...[&] believes that the natural energy and individuality of narcissists is the key to much industrial progress and innovation'.[18]


But enough talk about me, lets talk about you.......

How much do you like me so far ?

 

[mike]

 

[Wade]

In a separate but related distinction, 'Michael Maccoby, in his book The Productive Narcissist, makes a case for the positive side of a narcissistic character...[&] believes that the natural energy and individuality of narcissists is the key to much industrial progress and innovation'.[18]

No argument from me on that but I wouldn't want to work for one or be married to one.

 

[SheaOlmsford]

I do not check the forum very often. I came upon this today. My input is that ufology and paranormal subjects in general do not require a scholarly degree. Anyone can become a ghost buster, a big foot hunter, and a ufologist. All you really need is a good yarn to tell and a captivating personality. This would attract narcisstic people who want to be the big fish in the proverbial small pond, since they can easily acquire such fame (e.g., Steven Greer) by simply promoting themselves as something significant and special. There is no certification requirements. It is like old time Vaudeville. Anyone can get into show business if they have a good enough act.

 

[Randall]

I do not check the forum very often. I came upon this today. My input is that ufology and paranormal subjects in general do not require a scholarly degree. Anyone can become a ghost buster, a big foot hunter, and a ufologist. All you really need is a good yarn to tell and a captivating personality. This would attract narcisstic people who want to be the big fish in the proverbial small pond, since they can easily acquire such fame (e.g., Steven Greer) by simply promoting themselves as something significant and special. There is no certification requirements. It is like old time Vaudeville. Anyone can get into show business if they have a good enough act.

Some good points there, but let's not forget that there has also been plenty of deception in other fields as well, including ones that require scholarly degrees, like medicine, where numerous instances of malpractice have taken place. Just Google "Medical Fraud" and begin there, and what's worse about that is that unlike spurious UFO reports, medical malpractice directly affects the health and welfare of people and there's little room to conclude that it was simply a case of misperception or a lack of familiarity with known phenomena. In fact, I suspect that if one were to count all the instances of hoaxes and frauds up until the advent of YouTube where any bozo with a PC and a camera can fake a UFO video, the number of frauds in ufology was probably relatively insignificant. So the con-artist certainly isn't restricted to non-academia. But on the point of narcissism, I did spend some time the other day updating my photo on my website ... LOL.

 

[Fedora Chronicles]

Then I have the “Good Narcissism,” I want to be remembered as “That guy” who wore that dapper hat who was always willing to help people tell their stories or was willing to defend the kooks who were being bullied for sharing their experiences.

This might sound crazy but I want my name associated with the paranormal and if that means that non-believer are going to mock me, that’s fine. I would rather be the guy who gave a witness to the unexplained the benefit of the doubt rather than be a witch hunter who was frightened of every strange thing, including my own shadow.

On the other extreme, I don’t want someone else to take credit for my work. Chances are, though… that would never happen.

As for the con-artist angle? I guess it’s easy pickings for someone to say “I know all the answers” once they find a sensational yet reasonable answer to an age-old dilemma. It’s NOT contradictory if it’s the perfect balance, I digress.

If I had a phD at the back of my name (a doctorate in Graphic Design?!?) and said… “I’ve done research and did interviews with several people in government agencies,” I’m sure there would be people following me around like I was the next Jim Jones or Marshall Herff Applewhite. Just a mere ounce of “authority” and suddenly you have gullible followers.

 

[Randall]

... As for the con-artist angle? I guess it’s easy pickings for someone to say “I know all the answers” once they find a sensational yet reasonable answer to an age-old dilemma ..."

In addition to age-old dilemmas, there also seems to be plenty of easy pickings for con-artists who can say they know all the answers for old-age dilemmas .