Personality Disorders as an Insanity Defense
Created | Updated Feb 9, 2007
By Sam Vaknin
"It is an ill thing to knock against a deaf-mute, an imbecile, or a minor. He that wounds them is culpable, but if they wound him they are not culpable." (Mishna, Babylonian Talmud)
Some personality disorders are culture-bound. Critics charge that these "mental illnesses" mostly serve as an organizing social principle and are tools for societal control and coercion. But if personality disorders are not objective clinical entities - what should we make of the insanity defense (NGRI- Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity)?
The insanity defense (when a person is held not responsible for his criminal actions) rests on two pillars of evidence:
1. That the accused was unable to tell right from wrong ("lacked substantial capacity either to appreciate the criminality (wrongfulness) of his conduct" - diminished capacity).
2. That the accused did not intend to act the way he did (absent "mens rea") and/or could not control his behavior ("irresistible impulse"). These handicaps are often associated with "mental disease or defect" or "mental retardation".
Still, the "guilty but mentally ill" verdict appears to be a contradiction in terms. All "mentally-ill" people operate within a (usually coherent) worldview, with consistent internal logic, and rules of right and wrong (ethics). The problem is that these private constructs rarely conform to the way most people perceive the world. The mentally-ill, therefore, cannot be guilty because s/he has a tenuous grasp on reality. Mental health professionals prefer to talk about an impairment of a "person's perception or understanding of reality".
Reality, however, is a lot more shaded and complex that the rules that purport to apply to it. Some criminals are undoubtedly mentally ill but still maintain a perfect grasp on reality ("reality test"). They are, thus, held criminally responsible (Jeffrey Dahmer comes to mind). The "perception and understanding of reality", in other words, can and does co-exist even with the severest forms of mental illness. It is, therefore, not very helpful in distinguishing the criminally insane from the merely insane.
This makes it even more difficult to comprehend what is meant by "mental disease". If some mentally ill patients maintain a grasp on reality, know right from wrong, and can anticipate the outcomes of their actions, are not subject to irresistible impulses (the tests set forth by the American Psychiatric Association) - in what way do they differ from us, "normal" folks? Are personality disorders mental illnesses? Can someone with the Narcissistic Personality Disorder (a narcissist) successfully claim the insanity defense? Are narcissists insane?
Narcissists are not prone to "irresistible impulses" and dissociation (blanking out certain stressful events and actions). They more or less fully control their behavior and acts at all times. But exerting control over one's conduct requires the investment of resources, both mental and physical. Narcissists regard this as a waste of their precious time, or a humiliating chore. Lacking empathy, they don't care about other people's feelings, needs, priorities, wishes, preferences, and boundaries. As a result, narcissists are awkward, tactless, painful, taciturn, abrasive and insensitive.
The narcissist suffers from uncontrollable rage and grandiose fantasies. Most narcissists are also mildly obsessive-compulsive. Yet, all narcissists should be held accountable to the vast and overwhelming majority of their actions.
At all times, even during the worst explosive episode, the narcissist can tell right from wrong and reign in their impulses. The narcissist's impulse control is unimpaired, though he may pretend otherwise in order to terrorize, manipulate and coerce his human environment into compliance.
True, the narcissist cannot "control" his grandiose fantasies. All the same, he knows that lying and confabulating are morally wrong and can choose to refrain from doing so.
The narcissist is perfectly capable of anticipating the consequences of his actions and their influence on others. Actually, narcissists are "X-ray" machines: they are very perceptive and sensitive to the subtlest nuances.But the narcissist does not care. For him, humans are dispensable, rechargeable, reusable. They are there to fulfill a function: to supply him with Narcissistic Supply (adoration, admiration, approval, affirmation, etc.) They do not have an existence apart from carrying out their "duties".
Still, it is far from a clear-cut case.
Some scholars note, correctly, that many narcissists have no criminal intent (“mens rea”) even when they commit criminal acts (“acti rei”). The narcissist may victimise, plunder, intimidate and abuse others - but not in the cold, calculating manner of the psychopath. The narcissist hurts people offhandedly, carelessly, and absentmindedly. The narcissist is more like a force of nature or a beast of prey - dangerous but not purposeful or evil.
Moreover, many narcissists don't feel responsible for their actions. They believe that they are victims of injustice, bias, prejudice, and discrimination. This is because they are shape-shifters and actors. The narcissist is not one person - but two. The True Self is as good as dead and buried. The False Self changes so often in reaction to life's circumstances that the narcissist has no sense of personal continuity.
From my book "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited":
"The narcissist's perception of his life and his existence is discontinuous. The narcissist is a walking compilation of "personalities", each with its own personal history. The narcissist does not feel that he is, in any way, related to his former "selves". He, therefore, does not understand why he has to be punished for "someone else's" actions or inaction. This "injustice" surprises, hurts, and enrages him."
Find additional articles about personality disorders here - click on the links:
http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/mentalillness.html
http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/faqpd.html
http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/faq82.html
http://open-site.org/Health/Conditions_and_Diseases/Psychiatric_Disorders/Personality/
"It is an ill thing to knock against a deaf-mute, an imbecile, or a minor. He that wounds them is culpable, but if they wound him they are not culpable." (Mishna, Babylonian Talmud)
Some personality disorders are culture-bound. Critics charge that these "mental illnesses" mostly serve as an organizing social principle and are tools for societal control and coercion. But if personality disorders are not objective clinical entities - what should we make of the insanity defense (NGRI- Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity)?
The insanity defense (when a person is held not responsible for his criminal actions) rests on two pillars of evidence:
1. That the accused was unable to tell right from wrong ("lacked substantial capacity either to appreciate the criminality (wrongfulness) of his conduct" - diminished capacity).
2. That the accused did not intend to act the way he did (absent "mens rea") and/or could not control his behavior ("irresistible impulse"). These handicaps are often associated with "mental disease or defect" or "mental retardation".
Still, the "guilty but mentally ill" verdict appears to be a contradiction in terms. All "mentally-ill" people operate within a (usually coherent) worldview, with consistent internal logic, and rules of right and wrong (ethics). The problem is that these private constructs rarely conform to the way most people perceive the world. The mentally-ill, therefore, cannot be guilty because s/he has a tenuous grasp on reality. Mental health professionals prefer to talk about an impairment of a "person's perception or understanding of reality".
Reality, however, is a lot more shaded and complex that the rules that purport to apply to it. Some criminals are undoubtedly mentally ill but still maintain a perfect grasp on reality ("reality test"). They are, thus, held criminally responsible (Jeffrey Dahmer comes to mind). The "perception and understanding of reality", in other words, can and does co-exist even with the severest forms of mental illness. It is, therefore, not very helpful in distinguishing the criminally insane from the merely insane.
This makes it even more difficult to comprehend what is meant by "mental disease". If some mentally ill patients maintain a grasp on reality, know right from wrong, and can anticipate the outcomes of their actions, are not subject to irresistible impulses (the tests set forth by the American Psychiatric Association) - in what way do they differ from us, "normal" folks? Are personality disorders mental illnesses? Can someone with the Narcissistic Personality Disorder (a narcissist) successfully claim the insanity defense? Are narcissists insane?
Narcissists are not prone to "irresistible impulses" and dissociation (blanking out certain stressful events and actions). They more or less fully control their behavior and acts at all times. But exerting control over one's conduct requires the investment of resources, both mental and physical. Narcissists regard this as a waste of their precious time, or a humiliating chore. Lacking empathy, they don't care about other people's feelings, needs, priorities, wishes, preferences, and boundaries. As a result, narcissists are awkward, tactless, painful, taciturn, abrasive and insensitive.
The narcissist suffers from uncontrollable rage and grandiose fantasies. Most narcissists are also mildly obsessive-compulsive. Yet, all narcissists should be held accountable to the vast and overwhelming majority of their actions.
At all times, even during the worst explosive episode, the narcissist can tell right from wrong and reign in their impulses. The narcissist's impulse control is unimpaired, though he may pretend otherwise in order to terrorize, manipulate and coerce his human environment into compliance.
True, the narcissist cannot "control" his grandiose fantasies. All the same, he knows that lying and confabulating are morally wrong and can choose to refrain from doing so.
The narcissist is perfectly capable of anticipating the consequences of his actions and their influence on others. Actually, narcissists are "X-ray" machines: they are very perceptive and sensitive to the subtlest nuances.But the narcissist does not care. For him, humans are dispensable, rechargeable, reusable. They are there to fulfill a function: to supply him with Narcissistic Supply (adoration, admiration, approval, affirmation, etc.) They do not have an existence apart from carrying out their "duties".
Still, it is far from a clear-cut case.
Some scholars note, correctly, that many narcissists have no criminal intent (“mens rea”) even when they commit criminal acts (“acti rei”). The narcissist may victimise, plunder, intimidate and abuse others - but not in the cold, calculating manner of the psychopath. The narcissist hurts people offhandedly, carelessly, and absentmindedly. The narcissist is more like a force of nature or a beast of prey - dangerous but not purposeful or evil.
Moreover, many narcissists don't feel responsible for their actions. They believe that they are victims of injustice, bias, prejudice, and discrimination. This is because they are shape-shifters and actors. The narcissist is not one person - but two. The True Self is as good as dead and buried. The False Self changes so often in reaction to life's circumstances that the narcissist has no sense of personal continuity.
From my book "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited":
"The narcissist's perception of his life and his existence is discontinuous. The narcissist is a walking compilation of "personalities", each with its own personal history. The narcissist does not feel that he is, in any way, related to his former "selves". He, therefore, does not understand why he has to be punished for "someone else's" actions or inaction. This "injustice" surprises, hurts, and enrages him."
Find additional articles about personality disorders here - click on the links:
http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/mentalillness.html
http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/faqpd.html
http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/faq82.html
http://open-site.org/Health/Conditions_and_Diseases/Psychiatric_Disorders/Personality/
