Brain Bigotry – Common Questions, 7

Are more than fear and/or self-esteem issues involved with Bigotry?

Good question. There certainly may be a difference between a person’s own quietly-held bigotry and that of someone who is actively willing to “hurt” others because of their own not-so-quietly-held bigotry. It appears that a clinical psychologist who has spent the last 30 years studying the behavior of manipulative personalities and counselling their victims would say there was an additional element. George Simon Jr., PhD is said to be one of the foremost authorities on manipulative personalities and other problem characters. Reportedly he has specialized in disturbances of personality and character for over 30 years. Dr. Simon has spoken about the relationship with a person’s character, “specifically, the inherently malignantly narcissistic character of the bigot.” It is one thing to be very self-centered and dismissive of others. It’s another to view others with disdain or even contempt because they are different from you and then treat them differently. Simon wrote: “A pathological degree of grandiosity (i.e. malignant narcissism) is always at the root of bigotry.”

Scary thought, that, and he just may be correct.