This is a fascinating book - I thought to buy the book to support the writer, that it would be a dry account of Hubbard's war exploits, however, as I read it, it turns out to be anything but. It is a well researched, documented portrait of a garrulous man who the military couldn't rid them selves fast enough.
During the war, he so screwed things up in Australia, they sent him stateside at their first opportunity. An interesting quote in the book which is really telling of Hubbard's view of his own self importance, when someone who knew of Hubbard's disastrous war career, said something along the lines of: Hubbard? Hubbard? You're
that Hubbard? which in a'58 recorded lecture, he twisted the statement to mean he was recognized for his grandiose accomplishments, not his grandiose fuck up.
Oh man - when I read these officers statements of him, and see his inflated self worth, his "I know best" bent in action and how it results in the avoidable destruction of badly needed munitions, deaths, in the Pacific theater, I reflect on myriad examples in Scientology of these facets of him showing through. For example:
When you take the statement in the policy Keeping Scientology Working (KSW #1) about how the whole agonized future of the human race depends on what you do here and now in Scientology, it is clearly his narcistic ego in full regalia. I never looked at it that way any of the times I had to method 9 it. I thought it was sincere. How deluded was I? In my own defense, I had no clue what a narcissist was when I was a scientologist, but really, I have only myself to blame for not paying more attention, studying harder in the psych course I took in college.
I don't know if narcissism can evolve from this:
having an excessive or erotic interest in oneself and one's physical appearance.
"a narcissistic actress"
synonyms:
vain, in love with oneself, self-loving, self-admiring, wrapped up in oneself, self-absorbed, self-obsessed, conceited, self-centered, self-regarding, egotistic, egotistical, egoistic, egocentric, egomaniac
Into this:
What Is Narcissism?
Narcissists cut a wide, swashbuckling figure through the world. The most benign type may be the charismatic leader with an excess of charm, whose only vice may be an inflated amour-propre. [bcolor=#ffff00]In stark contrast are individuals with narcissistic personality disorder, whose grandiosity soars to such heights that they are easily angered when they don't receive the attention and admiration that they consider their birthright. Bona fide narcissists may also have a tendency to disregard other people's feelings and take advantage of others to get what they want.[/bcolor] As with many characteristics, narcissism can be viewed as a spectrum: Some people are lower on the trait and others higher, with many landing in the middle. Out-and-out narcissists exhibit the highest levels of self-flattery.
It seems to me, that he became worse over time, more vindictive. He certainly became more paranoid, on the run like common fugitive, seeing the FBI and process servers on very corner.
Another weird facet of Hubbard's mental maze that comes up in the book, is his reporting people to the authorities as spies, commies, Nazis. Why would he do that? It makes no sense. That is one part of the puzzle that is L. Ron Hubbard that I can not fathom.
Those tangents aside - if you haven't gotten the book, you should. It's quite eye opening.
Mimsey
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/narcissism