The Pneumatology of the Dark Triad
What Is the Dark Triad?
The Dark Triad is a phrase you’re unlikely to have heard around the workplace, but it is one of the “buzzwords” in the world of psychology. It refers to three distinct but related personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy.
Narcissism: narcissism comes from the Greek myth of Narcissus, a hunter who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water, and drowned. Narcissistic people can be selfish, boastful, arrogant, lacking in empathy, and hypersensitive to criticism.
Machiavellianism: the word comes from the renowned 16th century Italian politician and diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli. He earned notoriety when his 1513 book, “The Prince,” was interpreted as an endorsement of the dark arts of cunning and deceit in diplomacy. Traits associated with Machiavellianism include duplicity, manipulation, self-interest, and a lack of both emotion and morality.
Psychopathy: personality traits associated with psychopathy include a lack of empathy or remorse, antisocial behavior, and being manipulative and volatile. It’s important to note that there is a distinction between psychopathic traits and being a psychopath, with its commonly held association with criminal violence.
(Definitions copied and pasted from Mind Tools)
What is the Pneumatology?
Research at the International Institute of Pneumatology has revealed that the ancient Hebrew Scriptures, both in the Genesis narrative as well as in the works of the astute King Solomon indicate that the underlying reason for what Psychology today has coined the Dark Triad is in fact what what the Institute has labelled Identity Codependency.
Studies at the Institute in the field of Pneumatology, that defines all humans and animals as spirit (sentient and respiring energetic life forms) first, have revealed that all energy and potentiality for the function of all human beings as well as animals are inherent in the life force of the being. This is evident in the autonomic functions of these life forms that provide autonomously generated life for the function of all their internal organs, as well as their brain functions. Even the movement of limbs and means of traversing from one place to another, all arise from the autonomously generated energy.
In the ancient Hebrew Scriptures, both the author of the Genesis narrative and the renowned King Solomon, who was well known across many territories for his knowledge in many areas, including Science, indicate that not only is the autonomic and conscious functions of human beings and animals designed to be autonomous but also their psychology and logic. Both creatures are designed to function from what we have coined Self-Existent Identity.
Self-Existent Identity is the relation established by psychological identification with one’s spirit or energy. It is energetically being or existing (having life or the functions of vitality), generated and sustained by one’s own heart logic, thought, or consciousness, in agreement with the existential nature, capacity, potentiality and function of one’s Breath/ Spirit. Self-Existent Psychology is forming a mindset and building a system of logic that is inspired by the dynamic nature of one’s own spirit or energy.
In the diagram below, this is demonstrated.
The narratives of the ancient Hebrew Scriptures indicate that there were two categories of beings that were created to function from the Breath/ Spirit of Life i.e. Man and animals.
Of the two, man possessed the ability of the Creator to express the multi-dimensional identity, capacity, potentiality and function of His Breath, just as Elohim Himself. His function was intended to be Self Existent, and thus his Spirit/ Energy was the source of his self-validation, self-authentication, self-approval and his security. This means that because of his Self-Existence, he was self generating, self determining and therefore peaceful just as is evident with the second category of the Breath of Life, animals.
This was narrated to be short-lived when man made the decision to abandon the psychological identification with his own Spirit/ Energy and began to psychologically identify Himself with a tree in the Garden. Something external of himself. His identification with it, led to his self-comparison with the tree, which resulted in him dressing himself like a tree with leaves and hiding among other trees. He was then identified as living from his own image and likeness which alludes to the fact that he had transitioned into the practice of using all things other than his own spirit or energy as his mental or psychological reference point. This we have referred to as Identity Codependency.
Identity Codependency is the use of anything other than one’s spirit, such as, people, things, experiences and circumstances as one’s point of psychological identification. This point of psychological identification is in turn used to develop one’s personal logic to validate oneself, to authenticate oneself, to make decisions for one’s sense of security, and for personal self approval.
This is demonstrated in the diagram below.
Our research further reveals that whatever one psychologically identifies themselves with, is inherently used as the foundation, principle or law upon which one’s logic or mindset is gradually constructed, and due to the fact that in the case of Identity Codependency, this psychological reference point is external of oneself, it is inevitable that there arise both a conscious as well as a subconscious sense of emptiness, or lack, or inadequacy, in varying proportions. This sense of void results in an unyielding pursuit of one’s own sense of adequacy, accomplishment, self-validation and self-authentication. These reference points, the determining factor upon which the ego is built, usually can range from the abstract, such as positive affirmations, recognition, fame, to the physical, such as physical affection, monetary gain, possessions etc.
Very commonly, Identity Codependency is characterized and molded by an inherent sense of entitlement, which if not balanced by a mechanism of restraint such as a moral compass, (through religion or inculcated values, for example), the reference point of the psychological identification becomes the sole agent, as well as the sole condition that defines the individual’s personal integrity, moral code, social interactions or social rules of engagement.
In the presence of what the psychological reference point is, the individual may experience and express joy, elation, peace and may be the most pleasant person to interact with. In the absence of this psychological reference point on the other hand, the person is driven by survival and an incessant need to acquire their psychological reference point at all cost. This is really a pursuit to secure their sense of identity and personal security.
Uninhibited forms of this develop into what Psychology today refers to as Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy. “The Dark Triad”.
To be continued…
To learn more on the Self Existent Identity and Self Existent Psychology, visit the Zane kai Keturah International Institute of Pneumatology
