Hi,

Did Joey Smith have a psychiatric disorder?

Narcissistic personality disorder, perhaps?

Or was he simply some combination of desperate, power-seeking, status-seeking, mischievous, unquenchably lustful, and immoral?

The fact is that not only did Joey lie constantly, but he pretended to "translate" the Book of Mormon, and deceived many thousands of people during his lifetime.

Given that he knew that he--along with his accomplices--had made it all up how could he live with himself? If he believed in a god and afterlife, wasn't he afraid of going to hell?

Did he lack a conscience?

If so, did he have antisocial personality disorder?

Is there an ultimate explanation for his behavior?

Thanks,

Steve

I dunno. What do you call a hypocritical sex addicted compulsive liar with a messiah complex?

My ex-husband! Ba, dump, ump! I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist.

Narcisstic Personality Disorder is probably the closest.

I consider Brigham Young to be closer to an out right psychopath, in light of the slaughter of MMM and his decision to command the Saints to use handcarts, not oxen and wagons to make the trek out West. His "cheap and quick" solution resulted in the deaths of so many children.

too bad the state-of-the-art medicine at Joe's time didn't have the tools they do today to analyze people of those times, Joe & Briggy would have been First in Line...

In a college psychology class in Utah, years ago, my professor stated to us students that there are psychologists who believe Joe Smith Jr had a personality disorder. She then when on to state that she didn't believe he could have been diagnosed with a personality disorder, but didn't give her reasons. (Yes, she was/is a believing Mormon.)
I've ALWAYS remembered her statement and, I believe, it helped me as I was figuring things out.

_____


When looking at the behavioral characteristics of anti-social personality disorder I believe that diagnosis fits well, with what I've read about him. And it is possible Joseph Smith had more than one personality disorder.

I don't think the guy had a conscience.

I've met plenty of mormon men that would have made good Joseph smith replacements. They always have a scam going, think MLM.

They lie about anything and everything. They use religion to manipulate people into giving them what they want.

They have wives that don't like it, but go along to get along.

Oh yeah, the church is full of them.

I found this just last night and thought it was interesting. It's a couple decades old though:

http://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V26N04_19.pdf

The author goes out of his way several times to say that just because he had mental issues didn't necessarily negate his "revelations" but it was a non-mormon who wrote it.I'm hoping that he's simply trying to demonstrate his study had a narrow scope and trying not to let it turn into a blatant hit piece.

He explains a lot about manic-depression (now referred to as bipolar disorder). Having seen the effects of it in the lives of several of my family members I can totally see it. Especially if you combine it with a little schizophrenia. A manic person hearing voices sounds about right... And I agree with the narcissism. I think it was a problem that grew throughout his life. King Follett sounds like the ravings of a narcissistic bipolar man going through a fun manic stage.

But the question would then be that if it can be attributed to mental illness then was Joseph as evil as many here make him sound or simply sick and rather than trying to help him everyone around him just bought into the delusions? A family member of mine used to be convinced that Satan was talking to him all the time. Absolutely convinced. He wasn't lying per se. He was just mentally not there. It was real to him in a way we can't really comprehend without being schizophrenic. I think there's a possibility that JS was just as convinced that god was talking to him...

I also think that his manic side got him into a bunch of problems since he probably ran his mouth a lot. I guess these would be considered lies. Things such as finding gold plates. It sounds like a cool thing to say until someone wants to see them. Then you lie and say god said you can't and on and on and on.

I think that those that started calling him a fallen prophet near his death probably realized some of this after being around him enough to see the patterns.

Next we should figure out what the hell BY's problems were....

Interesting.."what-if" conversation.
No way to know what was going on with him, exactly. Can't diagnose dead folks.
Hard to know what was going on with any of these leaders. We know they were a product of their times and their religiosity.
I'm satisfied with that.

You and I releve, BOTH were married to JS clones huh? SO glad to be single again!!

Yes indeed, free to be me is a good way to be.