Can Jekyll And Hyde Behavior Be A Sign Of Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
In general, Jekyll and Hyde behavior describes intense and dramatic mood swings. In some cases, these mood swings may be a symptom of narcissistic personality disorder. They could also be related to borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, or other mental health issues. If you or a loved one lives with severe mood swings, please know that help is available. Online therapy can be an excellent way to connect with a licensed mental health professional.
What is Jekyll and Hyde behavior?
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is generally considered to be a famous piece of literature, and it was written by Robert Louis Stevenson and published in 1886. This English literary classic follows the tale of Gabriel John Utterson, a legal practitioner who notices a string of strange occurrences involving his kind and sociable friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and a horrendous criminal, Mr. Edward Hyde.
As the story unfolds, it is revealed that the kind-hearted Dr. Jekyll and the evil Mr. Hyde are one and the same, with the friendly doctor having developed a powerful serum to transform himself into an evil, wretched person in order to indulge in his vices without guilt or fear of detection.
While the story of Jekyll and Hyde is fictional, its depiction of a person who seems to shift dramatically between kind and cold-hearted can be all too real. You may have even heard someone referred to as a Jekyll and Hyde type, experienced this type of behavior yourself, or observed it in a loved one.
What could Jekyll and Hyde behavior mean?
In real life, Jekyll and Hyde Behavior is typically classified as drastic or frequent mood swings.
Some common mental health conditions may lead to drastic mood swings, including the following.
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, as defined by the American Mayo Clinic, can be a lifelong mental health condition that may cause extreme mood swings, which are often classified as mania, hypomania, and major depressive disorder.
There can be several types of bipolar disorder, all of which generally include periods of mania, hypomania or depression.
Symptoms of mania or hypomania may include:
- An increase in activity, energy or agitation
- A sense of euphoria, or an elevated sense of well-being or self-confidence
- A decreased need for sleep
- Excessive talking, or speaking more quickly than usual
- Racing thoughts and difficulty concentrating
- Impulsive decision-making, such as risky spending or sexual behaviors
Some symptoms of major depressive disorder may include:
- Noticeably depressed mood
- Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or excessive crying
- A loss of pleasure or interest in social, personal, or work-related activities
- Significant weight gain or loss
- Difficulty sleeping, or sleeping too much
- Restlessness or slowed behavior
- Fatigue or energy loss
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt
- Difficulty concentrating
- Suicidal thoughts or ideation
Borderline personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is usually classified as a long-standing personality disorder that typically begins in adolescence. For the purpose of diagnostics, mental health professionals normally group the symptoms of BPD into nine categories.
Someone living with BPD will typically have experienced at least five or more of the following:
- Fear of abandonment
- Unstable relationships
- Unclear or shifting self-image
- Impulsive, self-destructive behaviors
- Self-harm or suicidal ideation
- Extreme emotional swings
- Chronic feelings of emptiness
- Explosive anger
- Feeling suspicious or out of touch with reality
Narcissistic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) can be a lifelong condition that is typically classified by a pattern of grandiosity, as well as a need for attention and a pervasive lack of empathy.
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder may include:
- An unreasonably high sense of self-importance or a desire for excessive admiration
- Feeling that certain privileges and special treatment are deserved
- The expectation to be recognized as superior even without achievements
- A tendency to make personal achievements or talents seem bigger than they are
- A preoccupation with success, power, brilliance, beauty, or the perfect mate
- Feelings of superiority
- Unrealistic demands or expectations of others
- A tendency to take advantage of others without guilt or remorse
- An inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
- Excessive feelings of envy toward others, or an unfounded belief that others envy you
Coping with severe mood swings
Many of the mental health conditions that include drastic or severe emotional highs and lows can be lifelong, but they can often be treated through a combination of psychotherapy and medication.
If you or someone you love is struggling with stress and negative consequences brought on by uncontrollable mood swings, it can be vital to reach out to a therapist or another licensed mental health professional for help.
Additionally, keeping track of your emotional state through journaling or daily mood notations can be a helpful tool for you and your therapist to determine the possible cause of your mood swings and what can be done to help.
The benefits of online therapy
It is not uncommon for the nature of severe mood swings to make it difficult to keep commitments or stay on top of scheduling appointments. For this reason, online therapy may serve as a more convenient option by offering a method of receiving therapy within the comfort of your own home.
The effectiveness of online therapy
Certain mental health conditions that lead to mood swings can be linked to other conditions and causes such as anxiety, depression, and trauma. Recent studies show that online therapy can be highly effective when it comes to treating the symptoms of all three. Additionally, there’s generally no difference in efficacy between online and face-to-face therapy.
Takeaway
What is the basic story of Jekyll and Hyde?
The short story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886. Stevenson’s stepson, Lloyd Osbourne, also contributed. It is a Victorian horror tale that follows protagonist Gabriel John Utterson as he unravels a mystery surrounding his friend Dr. Henry “Harry” Jekyll. Utterson became concerned for Jekyll after learning that a man of ill repute named Edward Hyde had trampled a young girl to death after accidentally bumping into her in the street.
A person who observed the murder forced Hyde to pay a sum of money to the girl's family. Utterson learns that Dr. Jekyll gave Hyde the money to pay the family and worries his friend is being blackmailed. Utterson reaches out to Jekyll and is rebuffed. Jekyll tells him he can get rid of Hyde at any time.
Years later, Hyde beats Sir Danvers Carew, another acquaintance of Utterson’s, to death with a cane, leaving half of the cane at the crime scene. The cane was found to belong to Jekyll, and the missing half was found in Hyde’s apartment. When Utterson confronts Jekyll, he believes that Jekyll is protecting Hyde. Shortly after, Jekyll begins refusing visitors and is absent from social life.
Within a few months, Utterson is visited by Jekyll’s butler, Mr. Poole. Poole informs Utterson that Jekyll returned to his laboratory and has been secluded for weeks. Utterson and Poole break into Jekyll’s lab, where they find the dead body of Edward Hyde, wearing Jekyll’s clothes. A letter from a friend of Jekyll’s and Utterson’s, Dr. Hastie Lanyon, reveals that he witnessed Hyde transforming back into Jekyll, later dying of shock after witnessing it.
A letter Jekyll wrote before his death details his invention of a new serum that allowed him to transform into Hyde. Over time, Jekyll begins to lose control, and Hyde involuntarily appears. Upon understanding that Hyde would take over completely, Jekyll resolved to take his own life. He writes the account of his exploits and leaves the letter for Utterson. Utterson and Poole find his body along with his letter detailing how he gradually lost control of Hyde.
What does the term Jekyll and Hyde mean?
The term “Jekyll and Hyde” is often used to describe a person's positive and negative extremes. “Jekyll” refers to benign or helpful traits like kindness, generosity, and humility. “Hyde” refers to negative or harmful traits like selfishness, brutality, and amorality. The term is sometimes used to describe the duality of humankind. Dualism is a philosophical concept that states facts about the world can be reduced to two, often opposing, principles.
In the case of humanity, dualism proposes that human morality and personality exist along a spectrum. In literary analogies like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, dualism may represent a spectrum of good and evil. Dr. Jekyll represents the “good” end of the spectrum, acting in a manner that upholds virtue and morality. On the other hand, Hyde represents the “evil” end of the spectrum, displaying selfish behaviors that eschew social convention.
What causes Jekyll and Hyde's personality?
In the novella, Jekyll and Hyde’s opposing personalities are caused by a serum Dr. Jekyll developed in his laboratory. When he drinks the serum, Dr. Jekyll is transformed into another person entirely, Mr. Hyde. Hyde neither appears like Jekyll nor behaves like him. While Jekyll is a kind man of science, the evil Hyde is a ruthless sociopath who does not shy away from harming others.
While Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a work of fiction, some modern scholars believe that the story’s author, R.L. Stevenson, may have intended it as a metaphor for mental health concerns or addiction. Stevenson’s description of Hyde is similar to descriptions of substance abuse and substance-induced psychosis in Victorian England. It is possible that the “serum” Jekyll takes to transform into Hyde is meant to represent harmful drugs or other substances.
How are Jekyll and Hyde described?
Jekyll is described as a competent scientist who is outgoing, sociable, and kind. In contrast, Hyde is described as a vicious killer who is amoral and has no regard for the people around him. Throughout the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Jekyll becomes increasingly secluded and does not engage socially as he did in the past. As Jekyll begins to lose control of Hyde, his own behavior becomes more erratic as he tries desperately to control Hyde and prevent his transformation.
What lessons are learned from Jekyll and Hyde?
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is often considered to represent the duality of human nature. The novella was written shortly before Sigmund Freud pioneered his techniques of psychoanalysis, and many early scholars who analyzed Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde noted themes that matched psychoanalytic principles.
Freud popularized the theory of the id, ego, and superego to describe what motivates a person’s behavior. The id contains the unconscious instinctual components of personality, such as emotional impulses, sexual desire, and aggression. The id’s goals are not always compatible with social reality, and the ego represents the conscious suppression of instinctual desire. The superego represents the internalization of societal expectations.
According to Freud, when a person decides not to follow through on impulsive desires, their ego suppresses the id, bringing their behavior closer to alignment with the superego’s expectations. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hyde represents the id, Dr. Jekyll represents the ego, and the expectations for behavior in Victorian society represent the superego.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde teach lessons about humankind’s duality by personifying the struggle between primal desires that are instantly gratifying and the expectations to do what is morally right in society. Jekyll’s death may have represented his final option to triumph over the evil within him.
What happens to Jekyll and Hyde at the end?
At the story's end, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are dead. They are killed by Jekyll when he realizes that he will not be able to restrain Hyde, and eventually, he will become Hyde permanently. Because Jekyll and Hyde are technically the same person, Jekyll ends his own life to ensure that Hyde is prevented from doing evil.
What does it mean to call someone Jekyll and Hyde?
Calling someone “Jekyll and Hyde” may have several meanings. It may mean that the person is unstable and prone to shifts in behavior or mood, such as those seen in bipolar disorder and sometimes in borderline personality disorder. It could also mean that the person is “two-faced” or otherwise hides their true personality behind a pleasant facade.
What is the moral story of Jekyll and Hyde?
There are several moral themes in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but perhaps the most prominently discussed is the importance of managing the influence of good and evil. Many scholars believe Hyde is a personification of evil and corruption, and Dr. Jekyll’s struggle with him may represent all humans' internal moral struggles. The story likely represents a cautionary tale. An individual must struggle against “inner demons” and other internal drives that can lead to amoral behavior. This moral struggle is exemplified by characters like Simon Stride, who is Dr. Jekyll’s rival in the musical version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
What is a fact about Jekyll and Hyde?
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was released in 1886 during the height of the Victorian period. The story was popular when it was first released and was positively received by readers in the late 19th century, but the story took on new meaning just two years after its initial publication.
In 1888, a series of murders were committed by Jack the Ripper, a now-famous London serial killer whose true identity remains unknown. The public and contemporary experts alike turned to the London edition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an allegory for the psychological underpinnings that drove the actions of Jack the Ripper.
What mood disorder do Jekyll and Hyde have?
Several theories have been proposed regarding what mental illness best represents Jekyll and Hyde. Some modern scholars argue addiction is the best analogy, while others point to personality disorders like borderline personality disorder. However, in terms of mood disorders, many scholars believe that bipolar disorder best represents Jekyll and Hyde. Bipolar disorder is characterized by alternating between mania and either hypomania or depression (hence bipolar’s original name, manic-depressive disorder).
A manic episode is characterized by an abundance of energy, impulsive behavior, and reckless decision-making. When not manic, a person with bipolar disorder may be either hypomanic, which may appear as typical behavior, or they may exhibit signs of major depression. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, it is possible that Hyde represents a manic state, and Jekyll represents a depressed or hypomanic state.
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