Abstract
This article endorses the contention that God suffers from a mental disorder, but challenges J. Henry Jurgens’ diagnosis of bipolar disorder as reported in The Onion (“God diagnosed with bipolar disorder”, 2001) and proposes narcissistic personality disorder instead. It uses the diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder from The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC, 1994) and various biblical citations in support of this diagnosis. It rejects the idea that a major personality change is reflected in the New Testament and claims that God did not experience a major transformation of his narcissistic personality structure as described by Heinz Kohut (Forms and transformations of narcissism, in A. P. Morrison, Ed., Essential papers on narcissism, pp. 61–87, New York University Press, New York, 1966/1986). However, it concludes that God’s creativity accounts for the stability of his narcissistic personality structure and helps to explain his lack of empathy toward human beings.
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Notes
For readers who are unfamiliar with The Onion, I should point out that its news reports are completely fabricated. This one is no exception.
In his companion article, Philip Helsel takes particular note of God’s moods before and after the deluge in support of the bi-polar I diagnosis that Dr. Jurgens advances. That this episode is reflective of a manic phase followed by a depressive reaction is quite plausible. At the same time, I think it may also be viewed as a narcissistic reaction to the fact that God had created people, animals, creeping things, and birds in the first place (Gen. 6:7). To the extent that they proved to be admirable creatures, he would regret having to share the glory with them, and to the extent that they were flawed, they would remind him of the imperfections of his own creative work. In other words, he had created a narcissistic dilemma.
An alternative theory is that Solomon wrote Proverbs as a young, precocious sage and wrote Ecclesiastes in cynical middle age; but then, some years later, when he reached old age, he acquired the more seasoned wisdom reflected in The Song of Solomon. I present this argument in my article, “Desire Faileth Not” (Capps 2006).
A possible exception is Matt. 3:17, “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased,” but one could argue that this very commendation is illustrative of a narcissist pointing out that he has been an extraordinarily good father.
A Frenchman, Joseph Pujol, was capable of this and many other related feats. Known as “Le Petomane,” he performed at the Moulin Rouge from 1892–1900 (Nohain and Caradec 1967).
It might be argued that it was God’s very inability to realize a fundamental transformation of his narcissistic personality that led to the ingenious idea that he has a son, and is therefore a father, for the primary texts about this son’s life on earth (i.e., the canonical gospels) suggest that he appears to have had the qualities of transformed narcissism that his father does not possess, i.e., capacity for empathy, capacity to contemplate one’s impermanence, sense of humor, and wisdom. However, I defer to Nathan Carlin and his companion article on the issue of God as both father and son.
References
American Psychiatric Association (1994). The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders—DSM-IV. Washington, DC: Author.
Capps, D. (2004). John Nash’s postdelusional period: A case of transformed narcissism. Pastoral Psychology, 52, 289–313.
Capps, D. (2006). Desire faileth not. The Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling, 60, 161–164.
Kaufman, G. (1985). Shame: The power of caring (revised ed.). Cambridge, MA: Schenkman Books, Inc.
Kohut, H. (1966/1986). Forms and transformations of narcissism. In A. P. Morrison (Ed.), Essential papers on narcissism (pp. 61–87). New York: New York University Press.
Nohain, J., & Caradec, F. (1967). Le Petomane. Los Angeles, CA: Sherbourne Press.
The Onion (2001). God diagnosed with bipolar disorder. May 2, 2001 issue.
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Capps, D. God Diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Pastoral Psychol 58, 193–206 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-008-0139-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-008-0139-9