On Victimology and Narcissism

The following is a document I wrote in the late 1990s.  I did not submit it to anyone.

I want to share a few thoughts about narcissistic disturbance as it relates to issues surrounding the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in March 1981 by John Hinckley. The following thoughts highlight the pitfalls in attempting to arrive at a meaningful assessment of the total personality that is based on what is no more than a simplistic inventory of narcissistic characteristics.

John Hinckley has been diagnosed as suffering from a narcissistic disturbance, the elements of which would include attention seeking, pathological envy, lack of empathy, lack of impulse control, etc.

Typically, Hinckley is depicted as the disturbed aggressor, while President Reagan is depicted as a benign victim. According to the field of victimology, the personality of the victim can be a causal factor in his victimization. Leaving aside the speculative field of victimization, it is nonetheless interesting to observe that Ronald Reagan's own personality shows notable signs of narcissistic disturbance.

NARCISSISTIC ELEMENTS IN PRESIDENT REAGAN'S PERSONALITY:

Unstable identity/opportunism (switched in mid-life from an ardent New Deal liberal to a spokesman for the conservative movement)

Emotionally aloof (friends report that it is difficult to develop an emotional bond with Reagan--that he remains emotionally distant even after years of close interaction)

Separation/individuation problems (developed an emotionally exclusive and dependent relationship with wife Nancy: his own children report that he remained emotionally distant from them)

Chronic attention seeking behaviors (throughout his life he sought employment in high-profile fields that would gratify his need for public approval and acclaim: worked as a lifeguard, a radio announcer, an actor, a TV spokesman for a major corporation, president of the screen actors guild, governor, and president)

Possible rescue fantasy (in his early years he worked as a swimming pool lifeguard, which may have satisfied his exhibitionism)

Relies on denial (reportedly, Reagan's use of denial is typical of the children of alcoholic parents [Reagan's father was an alcoholic])

Excessive concern for his personal appearance (reportedly dyed his hair)

Has been known to lapse into a solipsistic reverie, unintelligible to others, at inappropriate times. (Such as at the presidential debate in 1984 with Walter Mondale: "Well, I was driving up the Pacific Coast Highway . . ." -- and the meaning of what followed was anybody's guess.)

I offer these facts for a limited purpose. I am not asserting that President Reagan's narcissistic disturbance was the "cause" of his victimization in any simplistic way.

I am trying to show that if a psychiatrist were working with a patient who had the personality qualities found in Ronald Reagan, and the patient reported that people typically "ganged up" on him, or aggressed upon him, the psychiatrist would typically attribute the patient's report to paranoia--simply adding the diagnostic criterion "paranoia" to the inventory of the patient's narcissistically-disordered qualities. That would be inappropriate.

The essential point is that in some narcissistic individuals (like Ronald Reagan) victimization or aggression by other narcissistically-disturbed persons (like John Hinckley) can be a real and chronic problem. Just as a narcissistically-disturbed person who suffers from chronic jealousy can aggress on others, so too can another type of narcissist who is charismatic and socially-attractive be a victim of aggression, sadistic social competition, and chronic jealousy.

Sincerely,

Gary Freedman