Character Analysis Research Paper PDF

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Character Analysis Research paper regarding fictional character, Light Yagami, and the possibility of being diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder....

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Death Note’s Light Yagami and Narcissistic Personality Disorder Rai PSY-470: Abnormal Psychology Professor December 12, 2021

2 Death Note’s Light Yagami and Narcissistic Personality Disorder To further understand personality disorders, the Character Light Yagami from the anime Death Note will be examined in relation to his disorder, the manifestations of the pathological behavior will be explained, a possible diagnosis with a thorough justification will be presented, the psychological model that best explains the case will be discussed, and a treatment plan to help cope with the behaviors will be formed. Manifestations of Pathological Behavior While Light Yagami has almost always been presented as having personality traits that most would consider abnormal in nature, it was not until he required the Death Note that he began to show signs of a larger problem. It first began with the manifestation of an inflated self of worth which gave way for the development of a god complex or an inflated feeling of his personal abilities. An inability to accept criticism of any kind followed and was accompanied with an unjustified superiority over anyone he viewed as less than him—which is almost everyone. These feelings of superiority were especially prevalent among those he perceived as a threat to his livelihood and he developed an unhealthy fixation in almost asserting dominance over them in a show of intelligence. With his inflated sense of superiority came his refusal to associate with anyone he perceived to be beneath him and his determination to form relationships with those he saw as on his level. Even then, these relationships are self-serving in nature with Yagami often taking advantage of those around him to either accomplish his goals or provide him with something that he was lacking. When confronted about the way he treats those around him, he is unwilling to acknowledge any hurt feelings and goes out of his way to cut those people out of his life and

3 seek a different form of self-gratification. All of which points to the likelihood that Light Yagami developed a narcissistic personality disorder after obtaining the Death Note. Symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder Indeed, it is very likely that Light Yagami has an undiagnosed narcissistic personality disorder (301.81 in the DSM) that causes disruptions in his ability to form meaningful relationships with those around him. NPD can be defined as a type of personality disorder that is traditionally defined by a pattern of grandiosity, a deep instilled need for the admiration of others, and a lack of empathy (Comer, 2018). Developed by early adulthood, an individual has to show signs of five out of the nine symptoms to be diagnosed with the NPD; Yagami shows signs of having all nine. Not only does he have an inflated sense of self-importance, made only more apparent by his growing god complex, but he experiences a fixation with success and control—especially in regards to his games of cat-and-mouse with his supposed rival. Of which, this rivalry has become something of an obsession in his growing need to assert that he is superior and that no one can match his intelligence. Due to the abilities given to him by the Death Note, he believes he is above the common man and only those on his level can understand his vision for the world. In accordance with this, Yagami believes he is someone to be admired, to be worshipped, and he believes that this is owed to him, that due to what he has done for the world, he is entitled to love and devotion—all of which add to his ever growing ego. Whether he believes an individual to be on his level or not, he has no empathy for their plights or troubles and is quick to become resentful if they ever go against him or their relationship no longer serves him. Another model seeking to define NPD asserts that an individual must show signs of having either a fair or superior impairment in two of the following four areas: individuality, self-

4 direction, empathy, and closeness (Dowgwillo, Pincus & Lenzenweger, 2019). Based on the aforementioned symptoms above, it is safe to say that he has a superior impairment in both empty and closeness—especially in regards to his willingness and ability to form relationships with others. As such, it is very likely that Yagami would be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder if he was to seek out a therapist and attend therapy regularly. Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the Psychodynamic Model The most prominent psychological model that best explains the cause of narcissistic personality disorder would be psychodynamic. While they can only propose a theory, as there is yet to be any solid evidence, psychodynamic theorists assert that it begins in childhood with parents who were often cold and rejecting (Comer, 2018). Due to this, their grandiosity is a product of self-preservation where they had to almost overcompensate for the affection and praise that they did not receive from their parents. Their inability to form meaningful relationships or empathize with others, is then a learned behavior that stems back to their childhood and contributes to their overall treatment of those around them. This is then supported by research that has discovered that children who were either neglected and/abused were at a higher risk for developing NPD in their late adolescence (Comer, 2018). Though these are only theories proposed by psychodynamic psychologists, this model best explains the cause of this particular personality disorder. Treatment plan Due to the nature of personality disorders, and particularly in the case of narcissistic personality disorder, it can be rather difficult to form a treatment plan. Not only is there no way to “cure” the client, but most people with NPD lack the ability to comprehend that their behavior is abnormal (Dimaggio, 2021). This is likely to be the case with Light Yagami and because of

5 this, it is best to form a treatment plan that will not only help him relate to his peers, but better understand his emotions. The best way to accomplish this would be through psychotherapy; not only would the therapist be able to get a solid understanding of how his mind works, but they can help him make the connections that he is lacking. During which, it would be important to guide him to understand that the way he treats others, while self-serving, does not serve the other and will only cause further frustrations later. Though it may be difficult to coax him into caring, due to a lack of empathy, doing so will only provide him a better chance of modifying his behaviors in a way that causes the least harm. While there is not much in the way of treatment for NPD, and a lack of strong evidence to show continued improvement, a small starting point will only increase the chances of improvement.

6 References Comer, R. J. (2018). Abnormal psychology (10th ed.). Worth Publishers. ISBN-13: 9781319066949

Dimaggio, G. (2021). Treatment principles for pathological narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder, Journal of Psychotherapy Integration. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/log in?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2021-79442001&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s8333196&groupid=main&profile=eds1

Dowgwillo, A. E., Pincus, L. A. & Lenzenweger, F. M. (2019). A parallel process latent growth model of narcissistic personality disorder symptoms and normal personality traits. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 10(3), 257-266. https://lopes.id m.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN =2018-64377-001&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s8333196&groupid=main&profile =eds1...