Thursday, May 31, 2012

Rumpelstiltskin Suicide

     Some people commit suicide in a rage—all of a sudden, with no warning, without evidence of depression. Just as one man in a tantrum may storm out of a room and slam the door behind him, another in an angry fit may abruptly destroy himself. Impulsive, unforeseen suicides of this kind often follow self-collapse when insults to flawed narcissism arouse ungovernable fury.
     The story of Rumpelstiltskin, a fairy-tale favorite, ends in a violent suicide. That Rumpelstiltskin put an end to himself in an explosion of rage has been overlooked in the literature of psychoanalysis, but he stands as an icon for certain narcissistic types who kill themselves when life does not go their way. Moody, lonely, little Rumpelstiltskin, androgynous, excitable, unrealistic in his expectations of himself and of others, worked prodigiously for love, and, believing love was owed and promised him, exploded when denied it. Rumpelstiltskin suicide attempts (self-injuries prompted by fury) are familiar in hospital emergency rooms but have not been much investigated. Though comparatively unusual, Rumpelstiltskin suicides are not rare. Empirical investigators are now emphasizing the importance of impulsivity as a personality trait disposing one to suicide.

pdf at Suicidology Online