Building a Better Villain, One Psychopathology at a Time

According to the medical journal Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, the ‘big six’ group of personality disorders found in the psychopathology archetype of "evil dictators" include sadistic, paranoid, antisocial, narcissistic, schizoid and schizotypal. Psychologists have actually tested such real-life dictators as Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and the newly-deceased Kim Jong Il, using first-hand accounts of their actions, to see how they rate.

And if you were wondering, it seems that Kim Jong Il was more like Saddam than he was like Adolf.

You want a truly evil villain for your fantasy story? Check out what makes these guys tick and build yourself a truly psycho villain. Here's a list of fourteen personality disorders shared by all three dictators (this is the order for Saddam, from most evident to least):


1. Sadistic -- deriving pleasure or sexual gratification from inflicting pain on another. (Also Jong Il's #1)
2. Paranoid -- suffering from a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others. (Adolf's #1)
3. Antisocial -- of or pertaining to a pattern of behavior in which social norms and the rights of others are persistently violated. 
4. Narcissistic -- tending to derive erotic gratification from admiration of one's own physical or mental attributes. (#3 for the other two--just can't pull off that divine right of kings without it!)
5. Schizoid -- of or pertaining to a personality disorder marked by dissociation, passivity, withdrawal, inability to form warm social relationships, and indifference to praise or criticism. 
6. Schizotypal -- pertaining to actual or potential borderline schizophrenia, a condition characterized by cold aloof feelings, eccentric behavior,hallucinations, illusions, and delusions. 
7. Obsessive-compulsive -- of or pertaining to a neurosis characterized by persistent intrusion of unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or the performance of actions, as repeated hand-washing, that one is unable to stop (compulsions). 
8. Dependent  -- having a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of that leads to a submissive and clinging behavior as well as fears of separation.
9. Depressive -- characterized by mental depression. 
10. Self-defeating  -- serving to frustrate, thwart, etc., one's own intention or interests.
11. Borderline  -- a personality disorder characterized by instability in many areas, as mood, identity, self-image, and behavior, and often manifested by impulsive actions, suicide attempts,inappropriate anger, or depression.
12. Passive-aggressive -- a personality that harbours aggressive emotions while behaving in a calm or detached manner.
13. Histrionic -- deliberately affected or self-consciously emotional; overly dramatic, in behavior or speech.
14. Avoidant -- demonstrating a tendency to avoid intimacy or interaction with others.


Happy villaining! If you like, check out the other two dictators' ratings here, and read more on the nuts and bolts of the study.