Personality Types by Don Richard Riso

Author:Don Richard Riso [Riso, Don Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Level 9: The Self-Defeating Masochist

If Sixes really have overreacted to their fears with some precipitous action, or if they cannot stop projecting their fear and hostility onto others, they may self-destructively hasten their downfall to provoke some kind of attention from and connection with others. Further, unhealthy Sixes are certain that punishment from their authority figures is inevitable, so they punish themselves both to expiate for any guilt and to escape, or at least lessen, the wrath of the authority.

They become self-defeating, another reversal. Instead of continuing to be anxiety-ridden, living in dread that something awful will happen to them, neurotic Sixes seek to reduce the threat of the environment by punishing themselves first. They bring defeat and degradation on themselves. Ironically, just as they may once have scapegoated and persecuted others, they now turn their aggression against themselves with the same hatred and desire for revenge.

Neurotic Sixes bring disaster of some sort on themselves not to end their relationships with authority figures, but to reestablish a protective one. By bringing defeat on themselves, they at least save themselves from being defeated by someone else. As painful and humiliating as whatever they do to themselves may be, it eases their guilt and defuses the self-condemnations which might push them to suicide. In a sense, then, they defeat and humiliate themselves so they can be rescued from a worse fate.

This does not always work. Sixes at this level of dysfunction are far from rational, and the methods they employ to punish themselves may result in severe debilitation or even death. They may drop out, abasing themselves as vagrants and living in skid row conditions, thus allowing their health and minds to deteriorate to the point of no return. Other Sixes may similarly punish themselves with excessive alcohol and drug intake, literally flirting with death. Still others may engage in suicide attempts that work more effectively than they had planned.

It is also important to understand that neurotic Sixes are masochistic not because they take pleasure in suffering as such, but because they hope their suffering will draw to their side someone who will save them. Masochistic suffering seeks union with another, as if to say, "Punish me because I have been bad. Then you can love me again."

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