Not Dumbledore! Surely not? Yep. Sorry. Dumbledore (spoilers) killed his sister, or at least thinks he did, there's no way he came away from that with a squeaky clean bill of mental health. Compensatory Narcissistic Personality Disorder shares a fair few characteristics with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, but the behaviour exhibited is used as a mask for feelings of inadequacy, guilt and the need to "prove oneself". Sufferers may seek to create an image of superiority and high self-worth whilst masking deep insecurities. They may strive for recognition and indicators of prestige such as titles (e.g. Order of Merlin (first class), Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot). They might have a tendency towards boastfulness ("That is one of my more brilliant ideas. And between you and me, that is saying something"), and display aspirations to glory and status, as demonstrated in his and Grindelwald's early plans to seize power and rule over the muggles. They may also rush through, and therefore screw up, important work for the gratification of success (such as putting on the cursed horcrux ring). He displays contempt and bitterness for failures and imperfections, viewing them as a sign of weakness, and frequently refers to himself as an "old fool" when called out on his mistakes. Evidence for Dumbledore's confident, capable and superior demeanour being a front or act can be seen when he drinks the potion in the horcrux cave, and the performance comes crashing down. He also lies about what he sees in the Mirror of Erised, clearly still plagued by the guilt of his past. Here, we glimpse Dumbledore's insecurity, guilt and vulnerability that he has so carefully constructed his persona to hide. Want to write for WhatCulture Science? Click here to find out how you could get paid to write about what you love.Hey, you. Yeah, you. You want some more science? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for your next fix.
