Structural Narcissism, Humanism, and Dec 6: A Humanist Framework for Dialogue

Introduced by Brenda Sedgwick

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December 6 marks the anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre. It is a National Day of Remembrance for gender-based violence. The event is an extreme expression of a continuum of structural violence—from everyday dismissal and bureaucratic devaluation to explicit misogynistic harm.

Two Opposing Ethical Poles: Narcissism vs Humanism

 1. Narcissistic / Dark Triad Orientation

Linked to exploitation, domination, and suppression of vulnerability. This includes:

• Narcissism: entitlement, lack of empathy

• Machiavellianism: manipulation, strategic deception

• Psychopathy: callousness, remorselessness

Structural equivalents (Weber, Goffman, Fromm, Mills):

• bureaucratic defensiveness

• rigid hierarchies

• image-protective cultures

• institutional blame-shifting

Results: Grooming, scapegoating, silencing dissent, rewarding control over care.

2. Humanist / Light Triad Orientation

The psychological and ethical counterpoint to narcissism. This includes:

• Humanism: inherent worth of each person

• Faith in Humanity: a belief in others' goodness

• Kantianism: treating people as ends, not means

Structural equivalents:

• cultures of repair, humility, and accountability

• reciprocal responsibility

• truth-telling and transparency

• relational rather than hierarchical ethics

Results: Attunement, collaboration, restoration, shared dignity.

Micro–Meso–Macro Lens

• Micro (Individual): interpersonal grooming, idealization, gaslighting, devaluation.

• Meso (Organization): bureaucratic rigidity, “iron cage,” institutional deflection, para-military “never admit error” cultures.

• Macro (Society): gendered violence, patriarchy, status hierarchies, systemic devaluation of marginalized voices.

Humanist ethics intervene at all three levels.

Red Flags and Double-Bind

Citizens and survivors are asked to identify danger signs:

• charm that feels too fast

• contradictory behaviour

• refusals to accept responsibility

• emotional coldness or hostility

• silencing, dismissing, or pathologizing concerns

 Yet when individuals identify these patterns in institutions, they are often labelled “difficult,” “unstable,” or “fixated.” This is a structural double-bind.

Guiding Questions for Discussion

1. Continuum of Harm
   How do everyday bureaucratic behaviours connect to extreme gender-based violence?

2. Structure vs Ethics
   Where do narcissistic patterns show up in institutions, and how might humanist values counteract them?

3. The Pathologizing of Witnessing
   Why are those who identify harm so often dismissed?

4. Humanist Cultures of Repair
   What structural changes would reflect true humanist ethics?

Please join the Zoom Meeting here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/971381033