Understanding Root Causes Reveals Similarities in Racism and Narcissism

Unresolved traumas point to paths for healing and becoming the change we want to be, making the personal and political arenas options for impact

I regularly make comparisons between racists and narcissists (based on traits part of someone’s core identity with a false superiority complex, extreme sense of entitlement and lack of empathy, among other qualities). Racism and narcissism share the same characteristics when you dig deeper into the puzzle to see both the big picture and notice nuances about how people with pathological personalities operate. A need for power and control to extreme degrees are the most common factors. This results in many people getting victimized and becoming caught in a vicious cycle akin to being placed between a rock and hard place. Since some practices become so normalized, few people ask deep enough questions to explore whether other options exist.

Racism itself is evil — it really is when boiled down to basics. It is also something that involves learned behavior. Everyone (people of color and whites) has been exposed to and socialized to accept racist premises to some extent. Black and brown people have greater incentives to reject racist ideology since they are most harmed by racism (white supremacy). Privilege (unearned advantages for whites) is the flip side of racism (unwarranted disadvantages imposed on black and brown people). Privileges lure many whites into being comfortable and/or complicit with systemic racism, even if not hardcore (actively causing harm).

So many affected by the racism and narcissism of others share common concerns. I have experienced the impact of both racism and narcissism personally and professionally as a black female. Here’s some of what I know about racists and pathological narcissists as a person trained to do professional psychotherapy and as an individual who took personal responsibility to overcome the dynamics of “psychological/emotional abuse:” When perpetrators of abuse label a victim as the bad or mean one (usually when victims take a stand by objecting to being continually victimized), they are projecting their disowned self /despised flaws. You can point to evidence that the perpetrators are the problem due to their own thinking and actions. Even when their patterns of behavior…