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…