Those Who Like and Those Who Manipulate-Mental Health, Aggression, and Poor Self Image

There are people with problems and there are those who push their problems on others. On the surface people might seem very normal, friendly, and outgoing. However, when their fragile sense of self is bruised, or someone appears to be an obstacle, some will do almost anything to harm their targets; including criminal activities. 

The first thing you will notice about the perpetrator is that he/she is highly social and calculates everything by its social value. That make their world a very small one in which all interactions are about gaining support and reflecting back on them their superior image (i.e. lots of attention seeking behaviors.)

In most cases, people sort of get the message and understand what is going on in an intuitive way (You can see the differences in their facial expressions and what they are saying and we can often subconsciously pick this up. Training helps make it more accurate.) 

Yet, there are some scenarios where life for some hasn't changed much since highschool. While most develop an adult personality the narcissist cannot create such depth (they are stuck in their development through child trauma.). They are limited by poor self image and the need to protect that image at all costs. 

Not understanding the normal human development path is one thing but helping a narcissist gain financial, political, and social standing through aggression is another beast. Where the narcissist may be pathological and willing to pathologically lie, people still make choices to follow or not to follow (meaning their own morality is on the line.)

In dysfunctional scenarios where there are no normal checks and balances the narcissist has the opportunity to go uncheck through the ignorance of their followers and social emulators. When given a free hand they have no reason to stop because their poor self-image can't be fixed that easily. 

In other words, the rage they feel that someone doesn't worship them doesn't end at any point until they receive the mental health. They may be afraid of the legal consequences but ultimately don't change because they have not changed. 

We have learned in our society that there are a lot of people who will believe anything. Rumors are an effective tool to rally a base of supporters to engage in hate crime behaviors. It is difficult for followers and posers to think critically or rationally (i.e. they follow because they want to be part of their social network). We need laws to protect against self-interested individuals with aggressive personalities because there are few backstops when race, religion, or other differences are exploited for personal gain. 

As a society we will at some point need to make a decision who we are and what behaviors we praise and shun.  See Ensuring No Free Pass in MI.