Camouflaged Aggression in Organizations: A Bimodal Theory by Alexander Abdennur

Author:Alexander Abdennur [Abdennur, Alexander]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Psychology, Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Business & Economics, Organizational Behavior, mental health
ISBN: 9781772125290
Google: 83umDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: University of Alberta
Published: 2020-09-21T21:04:46+00:00

The Narcissistic Principle of Equivalence

In my investigations of this disorder in the organizational context, I was able to observe another dynamic related to the splitting mechanism. This type of individual can spontaneously and with remarkable ease work for a certain project and against it at the same time. He or she can be geared, psychologically, equally toward both the promotion and the demise of a worthy project. If the individual expects to reap benefits, and particularly prestige, from supporting the venture, he or she will be all for it. If that forthcoming prestige runs the risk of being shared by others, or if the thwarting of the venture can be attributed mainly to his or her own doing, then he or she will mobilize against it and seek to destroy it. Thus, it is the potential of ego-aggrandizement that determines the direction of the commitment rather than the intrinsic social value of the collective venture. Rationalizations are employed in either direction. It is intriguing how the narcissistic ego-centredness can neutralize the oppositional relationship between construction and destruction. I call this proclivity the narcissistic principle of equivalence.

The above paragraph from the first edition of this book has been quoted online (in a Wikipedia article) and has provoked considerable interest. An assumption was made that I wrote a book on the subject entitled The Narcissistic Principle of Equivalence; although that is not the case, the interest generated indicates the need for more research into this clinical dynamic of narcissism.

Not too long ago, I conducted a seminar in organizational behaviour with a group of bankers. In the seminar, cases of financial collapse of specific companies were analyzed, with particular emphasis on the personality profile of the major player. It was a surprise to most participants when they came to realize that the collapse of some of these companies appeared to have been the product of irrational decisions on the part of a key director rather the result of financial or market conditions. What lies behind many fatal business decisions is not just a lack of business savvy or unfortunate timing or global economic factors but the malignant aggression of an enraged narcissist. Unrecognized and/or uncontrolled pathological narcissism can produce organizational collapse.

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