BookView Review

Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we interviewed Thomas Avant about his writing and his recently published book, Damaged People: Narcissism and the Foundation of a Dysfunctional American Society, an insightful read that delves into narcissistic personality disorder, exploring the connections between the psychology of the narcissist, the current political situation, history, and the socio-psychological factors inherent in American society today. (Read the review here.)

Do you find writing therapeutic?

I do find writing therapeutic. Writing allows and forces us to analyze, connect our thoughts into a coherent message, and document our views, thoughts, and emotions at a particular time in our lives – forming a historical record of what we thought and how we felt at that particular moment. Since my book is part memoir, writing it forced me to open up completely about the difficult aspects of my past, particularly regarding the struggles within my own family. Writing can be the vessel of release, reconciliation, and a sense of peace through openness and expression when we aren’t able to find a resolution to our struggles in other ways. Writing forces us to grapple with our innermost thoughts and emotions, and it allows us the time to finish and organize our thoughts without interruption.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Writing energizes and exhausts me. It’s energizing, because once I open the door to my thoughts, a flood of ideas emerges. I feel an uninhibited energy through expression that I don’t feel within normal conversational contexts. Building a story upon facts, thoughts, emotions, and ideas is fulfilling, and one needs energy to harness and direct the ensuing flood to deliver the message. Writing is also exhaustive for me, because all energy is expended in the process. It requires maximum intellectual effort. It allows us to open up completely, without any of the constraints of other media and interaction. Emotional openness and honesty are fulfilling but exhaustive when we expose the feelings that we are required to shield and filter in our daily lives.

Does a big ego help or hurt writers?

An inflated ego is detrimental in all aspects of life, including for writers. An artificially inflated sense of self importance forces others out of the spotlight and minimizes the contributions of others. It also shuts down others and drives them away. Humility opens us to vulnerability, which builds intimacy between others. People prefer to be around those who make them feel that there are no separate levels – the sense that we are all humans with many weaknesses. Since inflated egos are, by nature, artificial – since we are all a very small component of a large world we inhabit – the artificial nature of egotistical people is easy to spot and difficult to tolerate. Egotistical authors may as well be more focused on themselves than the message, thus tainting the overall cohesion and direction of the message.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

I try to be original. For me, writing is a bit of a selfish endeavor. I do it mainly, because I enjoy it and am challenged by it. My objective is to learn and to probe my own mind/feelings/emotions and address a range of topics. If the message and final product is beneficial and enjoyable for others, that is a plus. Part of the reason I write is that I feel I have a message and ideas that others will relate to, but the other motivation is for personal therapy and enjoyment. As authors, our message will always be well received by some and unfavorable for others. As I don’t shy away from incendiary topics, including my views on the state of American politics, I am well aware that, in the politically divisive American culture of today, I’m opening myself up to criticism from many who don’t share my views. As an author of non-fiction, however, it would be disingenuous for me to shy away from the truth and incendiary topics for fear of criticism. As an author, I’m staying true to my nature and values, which are easily found in my writing.

Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?

Writing is an art form, and I feel the best art is delivered through passion and an uncompromising, uninhibited sense of emotional openness and honesty. Art – whether its’s music, writing, painting, etc. – is one of the only platforms where emotional intensity is accepted and encouraged in a society that has always mistakenly viewed strength as stoicism and the concealment of genuine emotion. Ironically, that’s also one of the reasons people enjoy art so much – the ability to understand the emotional message delivered by the artist. People are emotional beings who have a genuine desire to express their emotions openly but can feel prohibited to do so by others around them. Consuming artistic content is, therefore, therapeutic. Emotional repression – shielding oneself from natural negative emotions – is unhealthy, but sadly is prevalent in the culture we inhabit. Although negative emotions are normal and within all of us, the fear in our society of being viewed as “negative” or a pessimist forces people to hide their emotions. I don’t believe emotional repression is healthy in any situation, including as a writer. Great writing is prepared with emotion, so it can, in turn, evoke emotion in its audience.

Which scene or chapter in the book is your favorite? Why?

In addition to the range of interconnected topics discussed in the book, Chapter 6 (Damaged by Ignorance and Hate: Racism, Politics, and Anti-Intellectualism) delves further into the scourge of the American (while the issues are not exclusive to the U.S.) history of racism and the collective narcissism associated with a legacy of white supremacy that has been ingrained in the fabric of American culture and institutions since its inception. I also discuss how anti-intellectualism – deprecation of education and philosophy and the dismissal of art, literature, and science as impractical, politically motivated and even contemptible human pursuits – has been used to prolong these issues prevalent in our society. There is a direct correlation between the spread of anti-intellectualism and an uninformed electorate, which has played a significant role in our lack of healthy development as a nation. Damaged people and institutions continue to stunt our growth as a democratic nation. So many Americans vote against their self interests as a result, which is why America is one of the weakest liberal democracies globally and why the wealthiest country in the history of the world provides only minimal social benefits for its citizens. We are also moving expeditiously toward authoritarianism as almost half of the states have pushed legislation making it more difficult to vote, which is ant-democratic.

This chapter was difficult, because my research forced me to detail some of the racially-motivated atrocities that have occurred throughout American history and continue to the present. During slavery and reconstruction, many of these atrocities perpetrated against African Americans were either legally sanctioned or were allowed to go unpunished, while the modern-day version of violence toward African Americans is most visible in the images of police brutality we see routinely, as unarmed African Americans today are killed by police at a much higher rate than other demographic groups. The vast majority of these crimes go unpunished as well, as it has been proven to be extremely difficult to prosecute these crimes.

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

While there are positive and negative aspects of life, it’s important and necessary that we don’t ignore the issues we see in our lives. If you are experiencing inner turmoil, you are not alone. We all feel sorrow, anger, pain, and frustration. While we have to manage these emotions, it’s alright to express the pain we feel. Freedom of emotional expression is necessary for healthy development and happiness, contentment, and understanding. If your life is imperfect, we can all relate. I hope I am able to evoke emotion from readers, and, while they may not agree with my views, I hope they can relate to the discussion of narcissism and better understand what they are experiencing when it occurs. I also hope readers can relate to the situations I present in the book. 

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