God complex

From ArticleWorld

A person who has a God complex does not necessarily believe he is God. It is believed by others, however, that he may as well believe it. As well as arrogance, other characteristics of such a personality are they are likely to be well educated and hold a powerful position.

Childhood development

The roots of such a complex are usually to be found in childhood. There is a stage during early childhood when we are all of a narcissistic nature. We believe that we are all-important and our caretakers exist only to cater to our needs. Of course, this idea cannot last for long and it is inevitable that we are disillusioned at some point. This is known as primary narcissism.

Unfortunately, some children go through abuse and trauma at the hands of others and need to develop defense strategies to cope, one of which is to retreat inside themselves and find comfort and support from a reliable source which is often only available in themselves. This may lead to secondary or pathological narcissism in adolescence or adulthood which manifests itself in infatuation and obsession with oneself and a lack of empathy towards others. This is believed to be a cause of a God complex.

Examples

Long after his death, Napoleon Bonaparte was said to have had a God complex. To succeed in his desire to reinvent the world, he caused suffering on a massive scale. The French Revolution and the French Enlightenment are also said to have been caused by those suffering from collective God complexes.