narcissisticabuse : Message: Michael Jackson and the 'extreme' price of fame

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From: "Sam Vaknin, author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited" <vaksam@...>
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Subject: Michael Jackson and the 'extreme' price of fame
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/06/26/michael.jackson.spotlight/index.html

The Narcissist's Addiction to Fame and Celebrity

http://samvak.tripod.com/faq19.html

The Prodigy as Narcissistic Injury

http://samvak.tripod.com/journal89.html

Acquired Situational Narcissism

http://samvak.tripod.com/acquirednarcissism.html

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Michael Jackson and the 'extreme' price of fame
a.. Story Highlights=20
b.. Expert says Jackson's extreme celebrity exaggerated personal troubles

c.. Jackson: Fame 'exacts a very heavy price'

d.. Jackson was rare combination of childhood and adult superstar

e.. Columnist calls celebrity-obsessed culture lethal and brutal
By Doug Gross
CNN
(CNN) -- The celebrity flameout is a Hollywood clich=E9 -- a mantel worn tr=
agically by the likes of Lenny Bruce and John Belushi and handed down throu=
gh the years to tabloid-populating stars such as Lindsay Lohan and Britney =
Spears.

=20
Jackson arrives at his child molestation trial in 2005. A jury later acquit=
ted him of the charges.

But Michael Jackson, dead at 50 after a life marked by unrivaled heights of=
pop brilliance and bizarre behavior that threatened to overshadow it, stoo=
d at the pinnacle of celebrity and embodied all the turmoil it can entail.
It's a perch experts say played a major role in his troubles in life and, p=
erhaps, his untimely death.=20

"He sums up every aspect of it, having the ultimate fame, the ultimate powe=
r, the ultimate influence," said Patrick Wanis, a therapist and counselor w=
ho counts celebrities among his clients. "He also sums it up in every extre=
me aspect of the word."

Jackson, who died Thursday in Los Angeles, California, spoke repeatedly abo=
ut the toll that a life spent in the public eye took on him emotionally, pa=
rticularly as a child star singing with his brothers in the group Jackson 5=
. Compare Jackson's career to other major singers' =BB

"The public at large has yet to really understand the pressures of childhoo=
d celebrity, which, while exciting, always exacts a very heavy price," Jack=
son wrote in 2000 in a column for the religious Web site beliefnet. "More t=
han anything, I wished to be a normal little boy. I wanted to build tree ho=
uses and go to roller-skating parties. But very early on, this became impos=
sible."

Wanis said Jackson's experience is rare in its longevity. While a child sta=
r may shine brightly then disappear, or an actor or rock star may feel the =
first glare of the spotlight as a teenager or young adult, Jackson lived bo=
th experiences.

Don't Miss
a.. InDepth: Michael Jackson=20
b.. Listen to highlights from Jackson's career=20
c.. iReport.com: Remembering Michael Jackson=20
His first public performance, at Mr. Lucky's nightclub in Gary, Indiana, ca=
me at age 6; at 50 he was rehearsing for a comeback tour. iReport.com: Fans=
in Gary remember Jackson

"The average life of a band or performer is five years. There's only a hand=
ful that break that rule," Wanis said. "Michael Jackson is the enigma. He s=
tarted as a child and he was able to keep it going all the way because of h=
is almost supernatural talent.

"The problem with that is he never really had a personal life. He never had=
a chance to live."

For Jackson, the pressures of celebrity "exaggerated and exacerbated" what =
likely already were some deep emotional and mental wounds, according to Wan=
is.

Multiple reports from the Jackson family, including Michael, described seve=
re beatings and emotional abuse by Michael's father, Joseph Jackson, who re=
lentlessly drove his children to become pop superstars.

Michael's actions in later years -- from his serial plastic surgeries, whic=
h removed all family resemblance, to his famous crotch-grabbing dance move =
-- can be seen as lashing out over that abuse, Wanis said.

"He resented his father," he said. "He was in rebellion, almost like a subc=
onscious rebellion, against his father."

The behavior didn't stop with dance moves and surgery. There was the chimpa=
nzee and the tigers and dangling his child briefly from a hotel balcony.

Most notoriously, and damaging, were the charges of sexually abusing the yo=
ung boys he befriended, charges for which he was found not guilty in court,=
even as reports of a multimillion-dollar settlement with another boy's fam=
ily persisted.

The high-profile trial, and its lurid testimony, drove Jackson further down=
the path of antisocial behavior, turning him into a hermit almost on par w=
ith famed billionaire Howard Hughes.

In the end, Wanis said, it may have been the desire to perform again that l=
ed to his death. He was training hard for a tour that was hoped to spark a =
musical comeback, as well as one more chance to bask in the glory of his fa=
me.

"There were a lot of people with a lot of vested interest in making sure he=
would stay alive at whatever cost," Wanis said. "The people around him wer=
e intent on making sure he could get whatever he needed just so he could ge=
t through those concerts."

As the world responded to Jackson's death, some observers paused from the a=
ccolades to reflect on celebrity's apparent toll.

"It was an unusual relationship yes, where two unusual people who did not l=
ive or know a 'normal life' found a connection," Lisa Marie Presley, Jackso=
n's ex-wife and the daughter of Elvis Presley, wrote Friday on her blog. "I=
wanted to save him. I wanted to save him from the inevitable, which is wha=
t has just happened."

Columnist Andrew Sullivan, on his blog for The Nation magazine, wrote that =
he grieved for Jackson "but I also grieve for the culture that created and =
destroyed him."
"That culture is ours, and it is a lethal and brutal one: With fame and cel=
ebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, it chewed this ch=
ild up and spat him out," Sullivan wrote. "I hope he has the peace now he n=
ever had in his life. And I pray that such genius will not be so abused aga=
in.

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<BODY>
<DIV><A=20
href=3D"http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/06/26/michael.jackson.spotlight/ind=
ex.html">http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/06/26/michael.jackson.spotlight/in=
dex.html</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A href=3D"http://samvak.tripod.com/faq19.html"><STRONG>The Narcissist=
's=20
Addiction to Fame and Celebrity</STRONG></A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A=20
href=3D"http://samvak.tripod.com/faq19.html">http://samvak.tripod.com/faq19=
.html</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A href=3D"http://samvak.tripod.com/journal89.html"><STRONG>The Prodig=
y as=20
Narcissistic Injury</STRONG></A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A=20
href=3D"http://samvak.tripod.com/journal89.html">http://samvak.tripod.com/j=
ournal89.html</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A href=3D"http://samvak.tripod.com/acquirednarcissism.html"><STRONG>A=
cquired=20
Situational Narcissism</STRONG></A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A=20
href=3D"http://samvak.tripod.com/acquirednarcissism.html">http://samvak.tri=
pod.com/acquirednarcissism.html</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D</DIV>
<DIV>
<H1>Michael Jackson and the 'extreme' price of fame</H1>
<DIV id=3DcnnHeaderRightCol>
<UL>
<LI class=3DcnnHiliteHeader>Story Highlights=20
<LI>Expert says Jackson's extreme celebrity exaggerated personal troubles=
<BR>
<LI>Jackson: Fame 'exacts a very heavy price'<BR>
<LI>Jackson was rare combination of childhood and adult superstar<BR>
<LI>Columnist calls celebrity-obsessed culture lethal and brutal</LI></UL=
></DIV>
<DIV class=3Dclear></DIV>
<DIV class=3DcnnWCBoxFooter> By Doug Gross<BR>CNN</DIV>
<DIV id=3DcnnMainContent>
<DIV class=3DcnnWCBox>
<DIV class=3DcnnWCBoxContent>
<DIV id=3DcnnLeftCol>
<DIV class=3DcnnMosaicContentCol>
<DIV id=3DcnnHighLightTrigger>
<DIV class=3DcnnContentContainer id=3DcnnTxtCmpnt>
<P><B>(CNN)</B> -- The celebrity flameout is a Hollywood clich=E9 -- a mant=
el worn=20
tragically by the likes of Lenny Bruce and John Belushi and handed down thr=
ough=20
the years to tabloid-populating stars such as Lindsay Lohan and Britney=20
Spears.</P>
<DIV id=3DimageChanger1>
<DIV class=3DcnnStoryPhotoBox>
<DIV class=3DcnnImgChngr=20
id=3DcnnImgChngr><IMG height=3D219=20
alt=3D"Patrick Wanis is a therapist and counselor who counts celebrities am=
ong his clients."=20
src=3D"http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/SHOWBIZ/06/26/michael.jackson.spot=
light/art.michael.jackson.trial.gi.jpg"=20
width=3D292 border=3D0>=20
<DIV class=3DcnnStoryPhotoCaptionBox>
<DIV class=3Dcnn3pxTB9pxLRPad>
<P>Jackson arrives at his child molestation=20
trial in 2005. A jury later acquitted him of the charges.</P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=3DcnnWireBoxFooter>But Michael Jackson, dead at 50 after a life =
marked=20
by unrivaled heights of pop brilliance and bizarre behavior that threatened=
to=20
overshadow it, stood at the pinnacle of celebrity and embodied all the turm=
oil=20
it can entail.</DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<P>It's a perch experts say played a major role in his troubles in life and=
,=20
perhaps, his untimely death. </P>
<P>"He sums up every aspect of it, having the ultimate fame, the ultimate p=
ower,=20
the ultimate influence," said Patrick Wanis, a therapist and counselor who=
=20
counts celebrities among his clients. "He also sums it up in every extreme=
=20
aspect of the word."</P>
<P>Jackson, who died Thursday in Los Angeles, California, spoke repeatedly =
about=20
the toll that a life spent in the public eye took on him emotionally,=20
particularly as a child star singing with his brothers in the group Jackson=
5.=20
<SPAN class=3DcnnEmbeddedMosLnk><IMG height=3D14 alt=3D""=20
src=3D"http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/img/2.0/mosaic/tabs/interactiv=
e.gif"=20
width=3D14 border=3D0><FONT size=3D1> </FONT><A=20
onclick=3D"CNN_changeMosaicTab('otherTab1','other1.html',true);"=20
href=3D"http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/06/26/michael.jackson.spotlight/ind=
ex.html#cnnSTCOther1"><STRONG><FONT=20
color=3D#ca0002 size=3D1>Compare Jackson's career to other major singers'=20
=BB</FONT></STRONG></A></SPAN></P>
<P>"The public at large has yet to really understand the pressures of child=
hood=20
celebrity, which, while exciting, always exacts a very heavy price," Jackso=
n=20
wrote in 2000 in a column for the religious Web site beliefnet. "More than=
=20
anything, I wished to be a normal little boy. I wanted to build tree houses=
and=20
go to roller-skating parties. But very early on, this became impossible."</=
P>
<P>Wanis said Jackson's experience is rare in its longevity. While a child =
star=20
may shine brightly then disappear, or an actor or rock star may feel the fi=
rst=20
glare of the spotlight as a teenager or young adult, Jackson lived both=20
experiences.</P>
<DIV class=3DcnnStoryElementBox>
<H4>Don't Miss</H4>
<UL class=3DcnnRelated>
<LI><A=20
href=3D"http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/michael.jackson.remembered/"><ST=
RONG><FONT=20
color=3D#004276>InDepth: Michael Jackson</FONT></STRONG></A>=20
<LI><A=20
href=3D"http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/michael.jackson.legac=
y/index.html"><STRONG><FONT=20
color=3D#004276>Listen to highlights from Jackson's career</FONT></STRONG=
></A>=20
<LI><STRONG>iReport.com: </STRONG><A=20
href=3D"http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=3D282680"><S=
TRONG><FONT=20
color=3D#004276>Remembering Michael Jackson</FONT></STRONG></A> </LI></UL=
></DIV>
<P>His first public performance, at Mr. Lucky's nightclub in Gary, Indiana,=
came=20
at age 6; at 50 he was rehearsing for a comeback tour. <A=20
href=3D"http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-287140"><STRONG><FONT=20
color=3D#004276>iReport.com: Fans in Gary remember Jackson</FONT></STRONG><=
/A></P>
<P>"The average life of a band or performer is five years. There's only a=20
handful that break that rule," Wanis said. "Michael Jackson is the enigma. =
He=20
started as a child and he was able to keep it going all the way because of =
his=20
almost supernatural talent.</P>
<P>"The problem with that is he never really had a personal life. He never =
had a=20
chance to live."</P>
<P>For Jackson, the pressures of celebrity "exaggerated and exacerbated" wh=
at=20
likely already were some deep emotional and mental wounds, according to=20
Wanis.</P>
<P>Multiple reports from the Jackson family, including Michael, described s=
evere=20
beatings and emotional abuse by Michael's father, Joseph Jackson, who=20
relentlessly drove his children to become pop superstars.</P>
<P>Michael's actions in later years -- from his serial plastic surgeries, w=
hich=20
removed all family resemblance, to his famous crotch-grabbing dance move --=
can=20
be seen as lashing out over that abuse, Wanis said.</P>
<P>"He resented his father," he said. "He was in rebellion, almost like a=20
subconscious rebellion, against his father."</P>
<P>The behavior didn't stop with dance moves and surgery. There was the=20
chimpanzee and the tigers and dangling his child briefly from a hotel=20
balcony.</P>
<P>Most notoriously, and damaging, were the charges of sexually abusing the=
=20
young boys he befriended, charges for which he was found not guilty in cour=
t,=20
even as reports of a multimillion-dollar settlement with another boy's fami=
ly=20
persisted.</P>
<P>The high-profile trial, and its lurid testimony, drove Jackson further d=
own=20
the path of antisocial behavior, turning him into a hermit almost on par wi=
th=20
famed billionaire Howard Hughes.</P>
<P>In the end, Wanis said, it may have been the desire to perform again tha=
t led=20
to his death. He was training hard for a tour that was hoped to spark a mus=
ical=20
comeback, as well as one more chance to bask in the glory of his fame.</P>
<P>"There were a lot of people with a lot of vested interest in making sure=
he=20
would stay alive at whatever cost," Wanis said. "The people around him were=
=20
intent on making sure he could get whatever he needed just so he could get=
=20
through those concerts."</P>
<P>As the world responded to Jackson's death, some observers paused from th=
e=20
accolades to reflect on celebrity's apparent toll.</P>
<P>"It was an unusual relationship yes, where two unusual people who did no=
t=20
live or know a 'normal life' found a connection," Lisa Marie Presley, Jacks=
on's=20
ex-wife and the daughter of Elvis Presley, wrote Friday on her blog. "I wan=
ted=20
to save him. I wanted to save him from the inevitable, which is what has ju=
st=20
happened."</P>
<DIV class=3DcnnStoryElementBox>
<DIV class=3DcnnStoryElementBoxAd>
<DIV class=3DcnnStoryElementBoxAdHead>Columnist Andrew Sullivan, on his blo=
g for=20
The Nation magazine, wrote that he grieved for Jackson "but I also grieve f=
or=20
the culture that created and destroyed him."</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<P class=3DcnnInline>"That culture is ours, and it is a lethal and brutal o=
ne:=20
With fame and celebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, =
it=20
chewed this child up and spat him out," Sullivan wrote. "I hope he has the =
peace=20
now he never had in his life. And I pray that such genius will not be so ab=
used=20
again.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>

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Thu Jul 2, 2009 2:57 pm

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"Sam Vaknin, author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited" <vaksam@...>

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