How is the extreme personality caused (Zhu Yuanzhang’s cruel personality is a disease)

Patient: Zhu Yuanzhang

Gender: Male

Age: About sixty years old

Occupation: Emperor

Education level: He attended private school for two months when he was a child. He dropped out of school due to family financial difficulties. Later, he achieved a secondary level of education through self-study. 01 Zhu Yuanzhang's autobiography

Since I became emperor at the age of forty-one, logically speaking, I should be happy, but my heart has always been bitter. Others think it is good to be emperor, but only I know. This feeling is uncomfortable. I live very depressed and trembling every day.

Actually, I'm not afraid of your jokes. I'm just worried that my throne won't be stable, for fear that someone will take it away from me one day. Because of this, I can't eat well, sleep well, and suffer like an ant in a frying pan every day.

I have been here, and I am here at this age. I understand how bad the human heart is. Many people do not want others to be better than themselves, and there are all kinds of conspiracies, jealousies, and calculations. The human heart is sinister!

I am a careful person and pay attention to everything I do. But since I became emperor, I haven't had a good night's sleep. I'm worried that someone is trying to frame me. Those little people who plot against me must be thinking about burning down my huge palace and kidnapping my wife and daughters to be slaves. , kill all my sons... Thinking of these, I feel sad.

You know, I whipped Zhang Shicheng to death in the first place, and then crushed his bones and ashes after his death. Look at the brothers around me, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Lan Yu, and Hu Weiyong. Which one of them is not a ruthless person? Although they respect me on the surface, who knows what they are thinking in their hearts?

I remember that Guo Zixing was so kind to me back then, and I owe everything to him for his cultivation. But for the sake of dominance, didn’t I kill his son? I still support Han Lin'er as the Little Ming King, but when I don't need him anymore, why don't I just drown him?

I have been fighting in the north and south for twenty years, and I know that the more stable a situation is, the easier it is for something to happen. Therefore, I have devoted myself to examining ancient and modern systems. I haven't studied much since I was a child, and all the knowledge I have now is acquired through self-study. I understand a truth by studying the history books of past dynasties: those powerful officials are the most dangerous and the most likely to cause rebellion.

So I simply abolished the prime minister system. No one but me wants to monopolize power. In order to prevent my descendants from being unworthy, I also wrote the "Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty", promulgated the "Laws of the Ming Dynasty", and made the "Da Gao". Even what kind of clothes the common people wear and how big a house they live in are clearly defined by me. In order to prevent unscrupulous people from collaborating in private, I have stipulated that people can only stay in their own villages and are not allowed to move around when they have nothing to do. If they want to leave the county, they must apply. (There is a hint of satisfaction in his eyes)

If anyone dares to disobey the rules, don’t blame me for being rude. For those who dare to cause trouble, I will catch them and make them into "human skin rafts". Who dares to dissent?

It stands to reason that what I have done is thorough enough, but I still feel uneasy. No matter how strict the laws are, they can't control people's hearts! My eyes and ears told me: Tang He was addicted to alcohol and killed people indiscriminately every day, and also took away people's property. Liao Yongzhong sent people to establish relations with the eunuchs and asked me for gossip all day long. Cao Xing killed the imperial official without permission. The most annoying thing is Lan Yu. He actually put a golden dragon on his pocket. What does he want to do?

Forget it! Although I couldn't bear it, I had no other choice but to kill them all cruelly.

But I still can’t let go. I always feel that there are some flaws in the laws I have formulated. Every time I see the maids and eunuchs whispering, I feel like they are talking about me. Seeing the hesitant way in which the civil and military officials spoke, I felt that they were deceiving me. In short, there is no good person around me, they are all a bunch of white-eyed wolves who want to frame me. 02 Diagnostic opinion and basis

Diagnostic opinion: It is suspected that Comrade Zhu suffers from paranoid personality disorder with emotional anxiety and has aggressive sadistic tendencies.

Diagnostic basis: Diagnostic criteria for paranoid personality disorder (according to the "British Kline Medical Encyclopedia"):

Sensitive and suspicious, often misunderstanding other people's unintentional and even friendly behaviors Hostility or discrimination against oneself. Recognizes derogatory or threatening meanings for common signs or events.

Unreasonably suspect that others are plotting to harm themselves, so they are overly vigilant and defensive.

Excessive self-esteem, pursuit of power by any means, and a strong desire to get ahead. Have a high self-esteem and think you are always right. Generally successful in career.

Having strong jealousy and not wanting to see others being more successful and happier than themselves.

Overly sensitive to setbacks and rejection, unforgiving of minor insults and injuries, and resentful. Not tolerant of other people's faults and stubborn.

Diagnostic criteria for sadism:

Lack of compassion and moral sense, extreme indifference to others, and extreme selfishness.

Have a strong desire to control and command others.

Have a strong desire to attack and are difficult to restrain.

Likes to see the pain of the attacked, likes to perform cruel acts, and gets addictive pleasure from it. 03 Analysis of the cause of Comrade Zhu Yuanzhang

We further confirmed the diagnosis through part of Comrade Zhu Yuanzhang’s self-report and investigation. We found that Comrade Zhu’s symptoms were very typical, almost a model in an academic sense. Generally speaking, as long as three of the five diagnostic criteria for paranoid personality disorder listed above are met, the diagnosis can be diagnosed, and Comrade Zhu met all five. The four criteria for abusers are also basically met.

Sensitive and suspicious, often misunderstanding other people's unintentional or even friendly behaviors as hostility or discrimination against themselves. Recognizes derogatory or threatening meanings for common signs or events.

Comrade Zhu came from a poor family in his early years. In order to make ends meet, he worked as a monk, participated in a rebellion, and worked as a thief. Such experiences made him often worry that others would look down on him because of his humble background, so he was too sensitive.

We can see Comrade Zhu's extreme paranoid characteristics from several cases of "literary prison" after he became emperor:

① Jiang Zhi of Guilin Prefecture wrote "Zhengdan Congratulations" "Table" contains the phrase "Jianzhong Zuoze". Since "ze" in Huaihe dialect has the same pronunciation as "thief", Comrade Zhu thought this was a scolding that he had been a "thief".

②The "Zhengdan Congratulations" written by Jiang Zhen of Changzhou Prefecture contains the phrase "wisdom leads to knowledge". Comrade Zhu believed that "sheng" refers to "monk", and he was ironic that he had been a "monk".

③The "Zhengdan Congratulations" written by Jia Zhu of Xiangfu County contains the phrase "taking the method like Wei", but Comrade Zhu believes that "taking the method" means "going out".

In short, all those who "offended" Comrade Zhu were killed by him, and no one was spared. This behavior fully demonstrated Comrade Zhu's extreme selfishness, extreme indifference, self-centeredness, lack of compassion and moral sense.

Unreasonably suspect that others are plotting to harm themselves, so they are overly vigilant and defensive.

Comrade Zhu said in his self-report that he often suspected that someone was trying to frame him and subvert his throne, so he often made unfounded speculations.

He is keen to use espionage methods to monitor his subordinates, and he does so blatantly and without any scruples. He also particularly likes to observe other people's private lives, for fear that others will talk about him behind his back.

One day, an old Confucian named Qian Zai felt that government affairs were too boring, so he wrote a short poem to relieve his boredom: "Four drums of winter are wearing clothes, and it is too late to make an audience at the Meridian Gate. When? Enjoy the pastoral pleasure and sleep until the world is ripe."

The next day, Comrade Zhu summoned Qian Zai and said straight to the point: "The poem you wrote yesterday was good. If you use the word "dislike". It would be better to use the word "worry" instead."

Qian Zai was so scared that he didn't dare to breathe, and he was so trembling that he almost wet his pants.

Excessive self-esteem, pursuit of power by any means, and a strong desire to get ahead. Have a high self-esteem and think you are always right. Generally successful in career.

Comrade Zhu’s ups and downs in his early years have given him a super high IQ, quick reactions, and thorough thinking. It can be said that he has a strong ability to withstand frustration.

He has a strong desire to get ahead, and psychologically he wants to use career success to make up for his low self-esteem. Therefore, he is very dedicated to his career and works an average of fourteen hours a day. Hours or more, and has no interest in things other than career, such as entertainment, friendship, family, etc.

He regarded his ruthlessness as a superhuman quality. For the sake of his career, he did not hesitate to betray his trust, such as killing Guo Tianjue, the son of his father-in-law Guo Zixing, killing a large number of his comrades, and killing his wife Li Shufei.

In short, any obstacle that blocks his obsession can be cleared by his ruthlessness.

Having strong jealousy and not wanting to see others being more successful and happier than themselves.

Judging from Comrade Zhu's behavior, he particularly hated those bureaucratic landlords who had happy families. This was related to the oppression he suffered from the landlords in his early years.

Comrade Zhu believes that although he is superior, his life is full of anxiety and irritability. He works hard all day long and has no fun at all. He has a rigid personality and no hobbies. As I get older, my health is getting worse day by day, and my life is gray and boring, while those bureaucratic landlords have rich clothes, good food, silk and bamboo orchestras all day long, and their lives are particularly nourishing. This made him extremely psychologically unbalanced. Therefore, among all the previous dynasties, he paid the least salary to officials and had the harshest attitude towards them.

According to the consumption level at that time, if officials only took the salary he gave them, they would not even be able to provide food and clothing. And if corruption is discovered, it will be severely punished.

It can be seen that Comrade Zhu has a natural hostility towards the rich, and it is not just his "delusion of persecution". Comrade Zhu's pleasure is to trample on the happiness of others. If he is not happy, others should not think about it.

Overly sensitive to setbacks and rejection, unforgiving of minor insults and injuries, and resentful. Not tolerant of other people's faults and stubborn.

Comrade Zhu's lifelong murderous nature can be explained as revenge for the insults and injuries he suffered in his early life.

In the early days of his career, he placed an extreme emphasis on discipline, strict legislation, and no tolerance for violators. Many systems were unreasonable, but he was always willing to spend every penny, achieving an incomprehensible level. degree.

He stipulated that prostitutes could only wear black clothes. Once, he hosted a banquet for Fu Youde, who was about to go on an expedition, and asked general Ye Guozhen to accompany him. During the dinner, Ye Guozhen asked the prostitute to wear colorful clothes. This made Comrade Zhu furious, and ordered people to arrest Ye Guozhen and the prostitute, lock them in a stable, and cut off the tip of the prostitute's nose.

Ye Guozhen was dissatisfied and said: "If you die, you will die, why should you be imprisoned with a bitch?"

Comrade Zhu said: "You do not obey my order to distinguish between high and low, so this is Wait for the bitch to humiliate you." Later, he ordered Ye Guozhen to be whipped dozens of times and sent him to Guazhou to work as a porter.

It can be said that Comrade Zhu's paranoid personality disorder has reached an extremely abnormal level. 04 Some summaries and suggestions from experts and scholars on Comrade Zhu

Karen Horney, (female, German psychologist, one of the most important psychoanalytic thinkers of the 20th century): The impact of patients with mental illness on The cause is often implicit in early life experiences. A person's basic humanity is formed during childhood. People with paranoid personality disorder often experienced particularly harsh childhoods, in which they were exposed to extreme abuse, humiliation, ridicule, neglect, and blatant hypocrisy. Like those who grew up in concentration camps, instead of being crushed, they forged a heart of stone.

Erich Fromm (male, German psychologist, this person is unique in the new school of psychoanalysis and has great influence): The character of a sadist is obvious and difficult to control. Violent attacks, a tendency to insult others, a lack of moral standards in behavior, no sense of shame, full of strong sadistic impulses, obtaining satisfaction and seeking happiness from the misfortune and pain of others, are important characteristics of antisocial personality.

This personality disorder is caused by two factors: early emotional deprivation and discrimination.

In view of the complexity of Comrade Zhu’s condition, experts suggested that he should be hospitalized and use drugs to relieve the symptoms of mania and anxiety. After all, Comrade Zhu has a special job and has been sick for a long time. Psychological counseling alone may not be effective. Very little, and can only be treated through coercive means.

In addition, necessary outdoor activities and physical exercise can also help relieve symptoms, but I am afraid Comrade Zhu will not accept such a suggestion. It is too immoral for an emperor to go for a run.

(Full text completed)

The views of this article are excerpted from:

"The Five Destinies of Chinese Emperors"

"The British Complete Book of Klinefelter's Medicine" 》

"Self-Pursuit"

Text | Arang