A person who has the syndrome of God is in absolute confidence that he is never mistaken, no matter how difficult the task assigned to him. More often than not, he ignores any established rules, considering himself worthy to do whatever he pleases. This disease is one of the undiagnosed, that is, there is no exact list of symptoms on the basis of which conclusions can be drawn.
God’s syndrome is a disease that is often used by authors in modern culture: in plays, books, series and films. For example, a similar disorder is observed in Shakespeare's Hamlet, when he decides not to kill Claudius during prayer (so that he does not go to heaven). Many cinema villains have some symptoms, and in Japan they shot a whole anime on this subject - Death Note.
Definition
God’s syndrome is a psychotic illness characterized by a patient’s unwavering faith in their own power and impunity. In some cases, a person can show signs of aggression, irritability, behave arrogantly and, not embarrassed in expressions, make fun of the flaws of others. Most often these are narcissistic people, confident in their own irresistibility. Anyone who tries to doubt this is declared an enemy.
Manifestations of this syndrome are often observed in successful people, mainly in men. Of course, certain signs are present to one degree or another in every person, especially if he has achieved outstanding results. It is important to understand that not every self-confident or arrogant person necessarily has such a mental illness, often dangerous to others and requiring hospitalization, like God’s syndrome.
Symptoms
In order to talk about the presence of any deviation in the psyche, it is necessary to make sure that a person has five or more of the following symptoms:
- hypertrophied sense of self-importance (for example, a person can expect immediate recognition from senior management, without any reason);
- endless fantasies and discussions about one’s own irresistibility, strength, success;
- the patient believes that he is “chosen”, but only a few deserve to know and understand him;
- Needs to be admired endlessly;
- unable to substantiate his statements, often either chooses the answers in the spirit of “well, it's me, you don’t understand”, or is aggressive towards the opponent;
- a patient with a syndrome of God ignores the opinion of other people and generally accepted laws and principles;
- arrogant and believes that everyone owes him;
- sincerely convinced that everyone envied him;
- and, of course, as in the cases with many mental disorders, completely denies the presence of a problem.
Causes
The causes of the occurrence can be very diverse, since this phenomenon has not yet been fully studied, but can significantly affect the development of the disease:
- excessive admiration for parents and other relatives without a clear indication of the reasons;
- excessive praise for good deeds and excessive condemnation for bad;
- episodes of emotional abuse in childhood;
- manipulative parents from whom the child could learn such behavior, taking it for the only true one.
Treatment
Unfortunately, at the moment there is no clear scenario how to treat the syndrome of God. But treatment is necessary, since in especially severe cases, such a disease can lead to the collapse of the personality, problems with socialization, and even cause dementia (dementia that is not congenital).
The main difficulty in treating this syndrome is that the patient does not believe that he has problems, he does not realize what damage can be done not only to himself, but to the people around him.
It is possible to conduct therapy aimed at helping the patient with the syndrome of God to learn to be more sensitive in relation to others. Often, work is done to teach how to use your talents to help others, while avoiding hidden motives. Also, the work of taming anger, rage and impulsive behavior can bring results.
Previously, it was believed that group therapy was impossible with such patients, however, studies have shown that this type of communication allows you to develop confidence, normalize self-esteem and learn to accept feedback from others.
The main thing to remember is that not always a bad character or bravado caused by self-doubt is a symptom of a syndrome of God. Sometimes it can simply be the result of improper upbringing, spoiling, or lack of communication.