My theories about the states of mind of Stalin and Hitler

Ok, so I've done quite a lot of reading and although I've met neither Hitler nor Stalin personally, I've got some ideas of what their screwed personalities are like and I would like to see if anyone concurs with me and perhaps open a discussion. Although I'm not a psychiatrist or psychologist, I've also looked into personality disorders and I've come to the conclusion that Hitler had a narcissistic personality disorder while Stalin had a paranoid personality disorder. Just think of it for a second; here is a list of symptoms for both:

paranoid personality disorder:

  1. excessive sensitivity to setbacks and rebuffs;
  2. tendency to bear grudges persistently, i.e. refusal to forgive insults and injuries or slights;
  3. suspiciousness and a pervasive tendency to distort experience by misconstruing the neutral or friendly actions of others as hostile or contemptuous;
  4. a combative and tenacious sense of personal rights out of keeping with the actual situation;
  5. recurrent suspicions, without justification, regarding sexual fidelity of spouse or sexual partner;
  6. tendency to experience excessive self-importance, manifest in a persistent self-referential attitude;
  7. preoccupation with unsubstantiated "conspiratorial" explanations of events both immediate to the patient and in the world at large.
Includes:
  • expansive paranoid, fanatic, querulant and sensitive paranoid personality (disorder)
To be diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder, you have to have at least three of these and IMHO Stalin qualifies abundantly.

narcissistic personality disorder

  • Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
  • Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
  • Believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
  • Requires excessive admiration
  • Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
  • Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
  • Lacks empathy: is unwilling and or unable to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
  • Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
  • Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.
From what I read about Hitler, these symptoms if you want to call them that apply perfectly to him and the sucking up of high party members and the messianic cult of personality that his propaganda machine constructed only amplified this. Also, Hitler might combine this with certain aspects of histrionic personality disorder, but for length reasons, I will refrain from posting those symptoms here and instead I will refer to the almighty wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histrionic_personality_disorder

What are you opinions on the matter. Are there any people on this board who are psychologists/psychiatrists IRL? Feel free to debate how these two got the personalities that are now ascribed to them, namely those of monstrous genocidal murderers and how and why they differed.

Discuss :).
 

Goldstein

Banned
I cannot but agree in Stalin's case, but there is very little room for discussion there. Stalin was a perfect textbook example of paranoid schizophrenia.

In Hitler's case, I wouldn't be so sure. He had narcissistic traits, that's for sure, but his profile doesn't fit well in a plain NPD, for Hitler was clrearly emotionally driven, and in his personal relationships, as far as we know, he was able to show empathy at times. Benito Mussolini, for instance, is a better candidate for a NPD.

Hitler, in my opinion, was a very extreme case of Borderline Personality Disorder, which often not only includes narcissistic traits, but impulsive and self-destructive ones.
 

Goldstein

Banned
I could imagine Stalin being clinically paranoid, but doesn't schizophrenia involve hearing voices and that kind of thing?

No. Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia doesn't always involve sensorial hallucinations, though it's a common trait of the schizophrenics. It has more to do with a partial or total disconnection with reality when it comes to thought processes (hence the word for the disease, that means literally "mind ripped apart"). The recurrent delusions of prosecution or conspiracy fully qualify as a case of PS. I don't know if Stalin had hallucinations, and he's too dead to ask him personally, but I wouldn't be surprised.
 
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I cannot but agree in Stalin's case, but there is very little room for discussion there. Stalin was a perfect textbook example of paranoid schizophrenia.

In Hitler's case, I wouldn't be so sure. He had narcissistic traits, that's for sure, but his profile doesn't fit well in a plain NPD, for Hitler was clrearly emotionally driven, and in his personal relationships, as far as we know, he was able to show empathy at times. Benito Mussolini, for instance, is a better candidate for a NPD.

Hitler, in my opinion, was a very extreme case of Borderline Personality Disorder, which often not only includes narcissistic traits, but impulsive and self-destructive ones.

You might be right. Borderline Personality Disorder also fits the bill although he was still very narcissistic regardless. Btw, Hitler's ability to show empathy was limited. He usually only kept people around for as long as they were useful to him. Maybe he had both?
 
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