Okay, so important distinction: Fascism and/or Fanaticism is in most cases a political/religious ideology, while narcissism is a psychological trait or, in extreme forms, a personality disorder. One can exist with the other.
Fascist ideologies and narcissistic personalities often reinforce each other, for example:
Grandiosity ("Our nation/people are superior.")
Desire for dominance and control
Intolerance/anger of criticism
Obsession with strength, power, and glory
Need for admiration or loyalty
Fascist ideology fits a narcissistic worldview ("We are special/We must dominate others/Disagreement is betrayalā)
Narcissistic traits push can someone to the top of an authoritarian movement e.g charisma, ability to inspire fear or devotion, Manipulating emotions etc
Grandiose belief in personal destiny
Viewing oneself as a heroic saviour
Fascist ideologists can resemble the characteristics of a pathological narcissist (but this does not mean all narcissists are automatically fascist, or that all fascists are narcissists). Fascist ideologies- if anything-promote a Narcissist's mindset. They may feel the ideology āvalidatesā them. Creating a group like The Circle of Raziel, gave the perfect conditions for someone (Valentine) with strong narcissistic traits.
Authoritarian/Fascist groups often prefer leaders who command attention and enforce rigid loyalty the way a narcissist can- particularly, a covert narcissist like Valentine. Coverts love being admired, are aggressive when challenged, and controls openly by being intimidating. If you think he only controls others subtly and often slyly, read back on the City of Bones finale when he is confronted by Luke and youāll find this is not the case. He yells and rages. He is a very angry person and he sometimes cannot mask it.
Now, on how he treats Jocelyn is the biggest clue for Valentineās narcissistic ways. It starts when he meets her: Narcissists are sensitive to rejection, and thatās why he was so obsessed with Jocelyn. She subtly but openly rejected him in front of everyone when they first became acquaintances. Rejection causes a narcissistic wound; acceptance gives a them a high because their power game worked.
Valentine does show emotional vulnerability to Jocelyn (and even Luke) and it is real emotion. Valentine being under the NPD umbrella has the ability to express something called Compromised Empathy. Compromised Empathy means that you express Empathy only in certain situations and to certain people, in a very limited degree. In other words, people with pathological narcissism or NPD have compromised and fluctuating empathy, but they do not lack empathy.
Valentine lying to Jocelyn about the screams she was actively hearing every night was the textbook definition of gaslighting. A gaslighting narcissist husband uses manipulative tactics like denial, blaming, and belittling to make his partner doubt their sanity.
I would be awoken at night by cries and screams that seemed to be coming from inside the walls of the house. I confronted him with these things, demanded that he tell me what he was really doing every night. But he just laughed. āYouāre imagining things, Jocelyn,ā he said. āItās probably because of the baby.ā I stared at him. āBecause of the baby? What baby?ā -> Jocelynās Story
During the time she started questioning Valentine, he isolates her from her friends and loved ones. He tells her circle meetings are no place for a pregnant woman and she becomes increasingly lonely and suicidal. Jocelyn tells herself that heās only trying to protect her- which was never the case. Thatās only what he wants her to believe.
āAnd if sometimes I woke up with odd injuries or bruises, well, Valentine told me it was because I had been sleepwalkingāa common ailment among pregnant women, he assured me.ā -> Jocelynās Story
Valentine twists the facts and makes Jocelyn doubt her reality. He- the narcissist- knows that a divided and conquered mind is their most vulnerable and susceptible target. When Jocelyn goes to Luke in fear of her husband and Luke confronts him, Valentine stops this right away. Like I said, he isolates Jocelyn from her support person and systems. Jocelyn is now depressed and canāt get out of bed: Her activity is now monitored and controlled. This is called coercive control. Itās a common effect utilised by a narcissistic partner when youāre trying to leave them.
By telling Jocelyn that her fears and anxieties are invalid just because she is pregnant, Valentine is belittling her. Heās telling her sheās in a weak state and canāt trust herself. Heās telling her: You canāt trust yourself so trust me. Itās not exactly outright cruel (e.g telling her sheās useless and stupid) but it is much more manipulative and dangerous because of it.
Let me be clear: Valentine only loves Jocelyn for her intelligence and strength when it serves him and his cause. Narcissistic people may think they love and perhaps they can in their own special way, but these people are often useless to them if they cannot give you anything. He takes and respects her council because it ups his game. Itās not as if he loves her for her own autonomy. He loves her because she can be extension of him. A powerful tool in his arsenal that he can utilise whenever he needs it. And because of that exact idea of Jocelyn, he underestimates her. Sheās the only thing he thought he had complete control over, and the only thing that came back and bit him.
Then, after Jocelynās plotting and betrayal is revealed, he threatens her. He threatens their child. He warns her that he would make her life hell, and he does. This is a common promise when Narcissists are rejected. Jocelyn became the paranoid, overprotective person that she was in the series because she always had the threat of Valentine looming over her. She always has to run, has to hide.
He was snarling horrible things in my ear, things about what he would do to my parents, to Jonathan, how he would make my life a hell for what Iād done to him. -> Jocelynās Story
In narcissistic dynamics, children can unfortunately become tools in the parentās conflict with the ex-partner. Simply put, the narcissistic rage that is triggered by the separation often triggers especially toxic behavior by narcissists with children. This rage often justifies setting aside all norms and morality (Valentine canonically used whips, isolation chambers and animals). Any anger, humiliation, or loss of control the narcissistic parent feels toward the ex can be displaced onto the child. The child then becomes the scapegoat. Valentine blames Sebastian for his own actions and wrongdoings and this then becomes an intangible part of Sebastianās psyche of āIām a monsterā. Iāll talk more on the narcissistic family dynamics (golden child, lost child etc) later.
āShe swallowed. āI cried over the box because my child was stolen from me.ā āA child you never cared about.ā āThat isnāt true,ā she said. āBefore you were born, I loved you, the idea of you. I loved you when I felt your heartbeat inside me. Then you were born and you wereāā āA monster?ā (ā¦) āYour soul was dead,ā she said. āI could see it in your eyes when I looked at you.ā -> City of Heavenly Fire
When Sebastian asks about Jocelyn (in the comic by Cassandra Jean above), Valentine sabotages Sebastianās ideas of Jocelyn as his mother. Like Jocelyn said in cohf, Valentine for all intents and purposes steals her child from her. He makes Sebastian reject Jocelyn, therefore making his son only loyal to him- the father. Sebastian never bothered to seek her out for love or attention because what he thought of her (and what she thought of him) was already cemented by Valentine. The lying, manipulation and gaslighting normally reserved for other adults ā is being used to fully assault a young child with the full power of narcissistic gaslighting. Children are often no match for a narcissistic parentās predations. Even a demonic one.
Fascism = political ideology.
Narcissism = personality trait.
They can occur together (like in Valentine), but one does not require the other. Thereās always a spectrum with Cluster B disorders, so Valentine may have certain traits other narcissists may not.
Anyways, these examples are just what youāve mentioned. Iāll post a much more in depth analysis soon.
snowghoul
stormborns
kaledo-art
gummygunk
pixelskylines
discoholicmusic
dailybridgerton
germansingergirl
