Me, myself, and Salinger
Sean Draine (seandr@Exchange.Microsoft.com)
Wed, 31 Mar 1999 14:35:06 -0800
Jake McHenry wrote:
> I am wondering why in the world would our man Salinger hole himself up
for years writing and then opt to burn all of his work.
Both behaviors strike me as classic manifestations of narcissism. The
narcissist's world begins and ends with himself, and he does not worry
himself with the interests or points of view of others. The narcissist is
extremely sensitive to feedback that does not reinforce his high opinion of
himself, avoiding situations in which he might be exposed to criticism
(i.e., publishing).
It might be fun to evaluate whether Salinger (or what we can glean of him)
actually meets the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality
Disorder. Anyone have a copy of the DSM-IV handy?
-Sean
"Pass the salt."
- Allen J. Bitflucker