On the “emotional plague” and “the emotional plague character“
The concepts of “the emotional plague” and the “emotional plague character“ were delineated by Wilhelm Reich in his book, “Character Analysis,” and in other of his works including “The Murder of Christ” and “Ether, God and Devil.”
[Reich, W. (1949). Character Analysis, 3rd ed. Translated by Theodore P. Wolfe, M.D. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (Amazon: Wilhelm Reich, M.D. Character Analysis https://a.co/d/5CpN4r6)]
[Reich, W. 1953/1971. The Murder of Christ: The Emotional Plague of Mankind. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (Amazon: The Murder of Christ: The Emotional Plague of Mankind https://a.co/d/1I3GTkn)]
[Reich, W. 1949/1951/1973. Ether, God and Devil/Cosmic Superimposition.New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (Amazon: Ether, God & Devil & Cosmic Superimposition https://a.co/d/8tUrjOl(]
Reich defines the emotional plague as a force in individuals and in society that compels emotionally unhealthy people to attempt to destroy the freedom and happiness of more emotionally healthy people.
He delineates a number of features of the emotional plague character:
He believes he is doing good.
He seeks out high positions in various cultural and political institutions so that he may “help“ people, but the effects of his actions are destructive.
His stated motives are never his actual motives.
The victim of an emotional plague attack feels paralyzed and confused.
The only way to defeat an emotional plague character is to expose him and to sequester him.
Here are a few other observations by Reich’s principal student, Ellsworth Baker:
[Baker, E. 1967. Man In The Trap. New York, Collier Books. (Amazon: Man in the Trap https://a.co/d/jduKGDA)]
“The emotional plague character is an individual endowed with a high energy, native intelligence, and ability...Instead of developing neurotic symptom formation to handle his energy, his defense is an active attempt to control his environment...”. (Page 164)
“He always arrives at a conclusion before thinking it through; his opinion is set prior to the investigation.“ (Page 160)
“The mere existence of different ways of living provokes his antagonism.“ (Page 160)
“They are particularly skillful in character defamation...“. (Page 163)
The concepts of the emotional plague and the plague characters has been further developed in three books by Charles Konia, M.D.:
The Emotional Plague by Konia, C, 2008, Princeton, NJ: A.C.O. Press. (Amazon: The Emotional Plague: The Root of Human Evil https://a.co/d/20sxaD6)
Konia, C. 2013. Neither Left Nor Right. Indianapolis: Dog Ear Publishing. (Amazon: Neither Left Nor Right: Preventing America's Decline Into Socialism https://a.co/d/8trEz0o)
Konia, C. 2023. Clueless. Princeton: The American College of Orgonomy. (Amazon: Clueless: The Great Human Disconnect https://a.co/d/49lnxOM)
Dr. Konia also has a blog:
charleskonia.com