31% of Pastors Have Narcissistic Personality Disorder!

Clergy and Narcissistic Personality Disorder:FREQUENCY OF NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER IN PASTORS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Almost one in three Christian clergy has a Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)!

That was the finding of an investigation into personality types presented to the American Association of Christian Counsellors in 2015. This is one explanation for the very high incidence of predatory paedophiles within the clergy. The investigation found that:

Pastors with Narcissistic Personality Disorder are to be found in all areas of the country at rates 400%–500% higher than are found in the general population (1%-6%). Narcissists can be found in every age and experience range, and in both sexes. In the Presbyterian Church of Canada, the incidence of NPD in active clergy is between 500% to 3000% higher than is found in the general population.

These pastors are the major source of conflict within the churches. One of The authors, Darrell Puls, DRS., Dean of Academics at Gather4Him Christian College, Richland, WA, USA, estimates that there are some 120,000 churches in the USA with 'malignant narcissist' pastors, which may account for the 65% of churches which reported serious internal conflicts within the previous 5 years. In his words:

Jesus warned us about wolves dressed as shepherds coming into the Church to “kill and destroy” (John 10:10). They’re here! The enemy has successfully infiltrated the Christian churches of North America

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The damage these pastors do is incalculable. In one case, over the course of his career a toxic narcissist pastor recruited, groomed, and then attacked and drove out 21 associates. Only two are still in ministry in some form. In other situations, the congregation fractures and splinters until it can no longer function, and the pastor moves on to victimize yet another. The church building of one of these congregations is now a bed and breakfast.

Not only do these pastors with NPD cause internal conflict, they are also the pastors who end up as sexual predators and abusers to fill their own egotistical needs.

The investigation, which involved embedding approved questions based on the Netherlands Narcissistic Scale (NNS) in a survey of leadership qualities. It used the following definition of a NPD:

Defining NPD

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (American Psychiatric Association 2012) defines
Narcissistic Personality Disorder as follows:

1. Significant impairments in personality functioning manifested by:
   
   1. Impairments in self functioning (a or b):
      
      1. Identity: Excessive reference to others for self-definition and self-esteem regulation; exaggerated self-appraisal may be inflated or deflated, or vacillate between extremes; emotional regulation mirrors fluctuations in self-esteem.
      2. Self-direction: Goal-setting is based on gaining approval from others; personal standards are unreasonably high in order to see oneself as
         exceptional, or too low based on a sense of entitlement; often unaware of own motivations.
   AND
   
   2. Impairments in interpersonal functioning (a or b):
      
      1. Empathy: Impaired ability to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others; excessively attuned to reactions of others, but only if perceived as relevant to self; over- or underestimate of own effect on others.
      2. Intimacy: Relationships largely superficial and exist to serve self-esteem regulation; mutuality constrained by little genuine interest in others’ experiences and predominance of a need for personal gain
2. Pathological personality traits in the following domain:
   
   1. Antagonism, characterized by: grandiosity: Feelings of entitlement, either balanced or covert; self-centeredness; firmly holding to the belief that one is better than others; condescending toward others.
   2. Attention seeking: Excessive attempts to attract and be the focus of the attention of others; admiration seeking.
3. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual’s personality trait expression are relatively stable across time and consistent across situations.
4. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual’s personality trait expression are not better understood as normative for the individual’s developmental stage or socio-cultural environment.
5. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual’s personality trait expression are not solely due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., severe head trauma).

Incidentally, How many fundamentalist preachers do you encounter in social media with one or more of the above indicators of NPD? Given the frequency with which the study found people with these personalist defects to be active in Christian ministry, is it any wonder that abuses of children and vulnerable adults is widespread, almost amounting to routine in many Christian denominations and why, when they reach positions of seniority in the church, that these people are so inclined to protect and even facilitate these abusive individuals?

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