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Jessica Hundt
Jackie Herbers
English 104
6 May 2013
The Diagnosis of Abigail Williams
Was Abigail Williams manipulating the people of Salem Massachusetts or did she have a
harmful and debilitating mental disorder? It becomes evident through Abigail’s strange
behaviors that she may have had a type of personality disorder, such as Delusional Disorder or
Narcissistic Personality Disorder. In his work, The Crucible, Arthur Miller is able to demonstrate
the idea that without love and affection one can develop certain types of personality disorders.
Miller is able to demonstrate these ideas through the display of various symptoms and select
information from Abigail’s past. Throughout the play, Abigail experiences several symptoms of
these both disorders. She has hallucinations and delusions, which leads the reader to believe she
is suffering from Delusional Disorder. In addition, she thinks highly of herself, and looses
empathy for others, characteristic symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Abigail
Williams begins to show symptoms of Delusional Disorder and Narcissistic Personality
Disorder. The traumatic events of Abigail’s life as well as her mentality caused her to develop
symptoms of the personality disorders.
Abigail Williams is a seventeen year old girl from Salem, Massachusetts. Her parents
died when she was very young and she was sent to live with her Uncle. Her uncle is Reverend
Parris, the leader of Salem. It is recorded, that Parris was somewhat arrogant and not well liked
in the community. Reverend Parris, discovers Abigail and her friends dancing in the woods. The
community correctly speculated that Abigail and her friends were intending to “conjure spirits”.
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Little did the community know, Abigail’s main motivation was to kill John Proctor’s wife so she
could marry John. Therefore, since Abigail has failed to meet her psychological needs, she
strongly desires to be with John Proctor, therefore her desires quickly leap out of her hands as
she downwardly spirals into vicious lies and psychotic madness.
Developed by Abraham Maslow, “The Hierarchy of Needs”, is a system that categorizes
various items in order of importance. The base level of the hierarchy is the basic or physical
needs, for example, food, water, and shelter. The second level on the system is “safety and
security” (Poston 350). This level is characterized by feeling secure with surroundings (Poston
350). The next category is more complicated, the psychological needs, which consists of feeling
loved and belongingness as well as having a positive self-esteem (Poston 350). This is the level
in which Abigail William is experiencing what Maslow would have called a “deficit needs”
(Poston 347). In other words, Abigail is failing to achieve the correct amount of love and
belongingness. She also is failing to have a positive self-esteem. The final level, the most
difficult to achieve is “self-actualization” or the feeling of fulfilling the highest potential (Poston
346). While analyzing Abigail Williams, it is noticed that she is able to fulfill her basic needs;
she is able to eat, drink, and find shelter. However she is lacking in the next level of needs, love
and finding positive relationships. Therefore, she begins to develop various symptoms of mental
illness. She becomes manipulative and thinks highly of herself, characteristic symptoms of
Narcissistic Personality Disorder. She also becomes delusional, the only necessary symptom of
Delusional Disorder.
It is apparent that Abigail could be suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. In
the informational text, Mental Health& Mental Illness, author, Patria Berry discusses that
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is associated with grandiose views of his or her self and
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believes the world exists to meet their needs (Berry 300). Patria Berry also makes the point that,
a person suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder “tends to manipulate and exploit other
people in order to meet his or own needs.” This is recognized when Abigail threatens her friends,
“I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it.” (Miller I. 1.
20). Psychology professor, Jerry Tabbert said, that those suffering from Narcissistic Personality
Disorder feel entitled and develop a “God Complex” (Tabbert). In the Crucible, Abigail
proclaims while having a hallucination regarding Mary Warren, “It’s God’s work I do!” (Miller
III. 2. 115.). Otherwise meaning, that Abigail truly believes that she is able to do the work of
God. According to the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual, some additional symptoms are
“pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack empathy that begins by early
adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts.” (DSM-IV-TR 714). Another aspect of
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is the lack empathy and failure to notice how their words and
actions affect others (DSM-IV-TR 715). For example, when Abigail begins accusing numerous
people of witchcraft, “I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridge Bishop with the
Devil!...I saw Goody Sibber with the Devil!...” (Miller I. 1. 48). Abigail is so lost in her power
that she fails to remember that her actions will negatively affect the people she is accusing. The
DSM also discusses the likelihood of those with the disorder and their preoccupation with
fantasies of unlimited success, power brilliance, beauty or ideal love (DSM-IV-TR 715). This
can be paralleled with the fact that Abigail is desperately in love with John Proctor. She clings to
an unspoken promise between the two of them, while the affair meant everything to Abigail; it
meant nothing to John Proctor. By looking at the behaviors of Abigail Williams it can be
inferred that she had a mental illness like Narcissistic Personality Disorder because she shared
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the same symptoms. At times throughout the play she displays instances of thinking highly of
herself as well as lacking empathy for the people that surround her.
When looking at the causes of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, it can be noted that
Abigail Williams may have personality disorder like Narcissistic Personality Disorder. One
cause of the disorder is low – self-esteem (Berry 300). In connection to low self-esteem,
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs says, that the level of belonging must be established because of its
significant effect on one’s self-esteem (Poston 349). “Maslow Hierarchy of Needs” article,
written by Bob Poston, states that strong family connections are important in relieving anxieties,
helps with social development and leads to a healthier self-esteem” (Poston 349). In addition to
low self-esteem, sources say that Narcissistic Personality Disorder can also be caused by reacting
with rage or revenge (Nelson). This is noted by Abigail’s need to be with John Proctor and the
measures she goes to, to be with him. The disorder can also be caused by domestic violence or
when Abigail witnessed the murder of her parents (Nelson). When looking at the several ways
that Narcissistic Personality Disorder can be caused, for example, low self-esteem or reaction to r
domestic violence it is made clearer that Abigail may have developed a type of personality
disorder.
It becomes evident through Abigail’s behavior that she may have Delusional Disorder.
This disorder is most often characterized by several hallucinations, beliefs not based on reality,
and misinterpretation of perception or experience (Weiner, Irving , and Craighead).
Hallucinations are defined as seeing or hearing things that don’t exist (Weiner, Irving , and
Craighead). The DSM or the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder states,
“Delusions are erroneous beliefs that usually involve a misinterpretation of perceptions or
experiences. The content may include a variety of themes …the person believes he or she is
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being tormented” (DSM-IV-TR 299). Throughout the play, Abigail has several
misinterpretations of reality and believes she is being tormented. In the play when she is talking
John Proctor she declares, “Why, look at my leg. I’m holes all over from their damned needles
and pins” (Miller. II. 2. 149 ). She also says, “George Jacobs…he comes again and again and
raps me with his stick—the same spot every night all this week. Look at the lump I have”
(Miller. II. 2. 149). Another instance in the play when Abigail has a false sense of reality is when
she accuses Elizabeth Proctor of sending her spirit out and stabbing Abigail with a needle.
Cheever describes the event to John Proctor by saying, “…stuck two inches in the flesh of her
belly, he draw a needle out. And demandin’ of her how she come to be so stabbed, she…testify it
were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in!” (Miller II. 1. 74). It can be inferred by the reader
that Abigail is mutating herself due to her mental state. Later in the courtroom, another depiction
of Abigail’s misunderstanding of her surroundings, she wails, “I know not. A wind, a cold wind,
has come…” (Miller. III.108). She begins to blame Marry Waren for malicious visions. Abigail
cries, “Oh, Mary, This is a black art to change your shape.” (Miller III. 115). A source says that
one with delusional disorder can lose empathy with others and has inappropriate emotional
responsiveness (Berry 245). It is clear that Abigail has lost her ability to feel empathy and this is
best exemplified when Abigail threatens her friends. In the begging of the play she harshly says,
“And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or edge of a word about the other things, and I
will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will
shudder you” (Miller. I. 20). Her treat scares her friends into going along with the witchcraft
charade. By analyzing the symptoms of Delusional Disorder, it can be seen that Abigail
demonstrated several of the warning signs of the disorder. Because of Abigail fails to receive the
proper love and attention, and in response she loses touch with reality and begins to show signs
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of a serious mental disorder, Delusional Disorder. Abigail’s hallucinations and delusions not
only led to the imprisonment of many people, but they also lead to their unfortunate and
untimely demise.
By reviewing the causes, it can be recognized that Abigail may be suffering from
Delusional Disorder. The book Mental Health & Mental Illness mentions that Psychoanalytic
Theory describes that children who are denied of meaningful relationships with the important
people in his or her families this may lead to personality disorders” (Berry 244). As previously
stated Abigail Williams was deprived of a relationship between her parents and was sent to live
with unkind uncle. The same source said that, “This lack of good, firm interpersonal
relationships at an early age results in immature adult personalities that find it difficult to adjust
socially or to relate intimately with other people” (Berry 244). Referring once again to Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs, an article by Bob Poston, discuses that children do certain activities to “gain
our parents attention, whether it be exploring or asking numerous questions”. He also discusses,
the child must to form emotional or social bonds with his or her parents. The impact a child
development starts with a home and family (Poston 350). Family secures the previous levels of
Maslow’s hierarchy by meeting and maintaining the base level needs” (Poston 350). Abigail’s
parents died when she was very young and has been living with her arrogant uncle ever since
their untimely deaths. Miller states of Parris that “he was a widower with interest in children, or
talent with them” (Miller I.10). It also appears that Reverend Parris is somewhat narcissistic
himself. When his daughter Betty was ill, he tells Abigail, “If you trafficked with spirits in the
forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it” (Miller I. 1.
10). His statement shows that he cares more for his precious reputation rather than the health of
his young daughter. Moreover, because Abigail is lacking love, she turns to John Proctor for
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affection; however, he fails to return the love and affection. She announces to him, “I saw in
your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you love me now!” (Miller I. 22).
This restricted love leads to Abigail to go to drastic measures to be with John. Furthermore,
traumatic stress can cause a mental illness. Jerry Tabbert, a psychology professor at Viterbo
University said that “Severe trauma can induce short term schizophrenia or delusions.” Another
source said that chronic stress could also lead to schizophrenia or delusions (Weiner 1505). In
the play, Abigail declares she watches her parents die, “I saw Indians smash my dear parents’
heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night...” (Miller I.
20). Studies have shown that higher rates of abuse and trauma during childhood increase
chances of developing schizophrenia later in life (Weiner 1505). With the absence of her loving
parents and failing to receive love from her arrogant uncle has lead Abigail to go to desperate
measures to seek the love. She turns to John Proctor; however he does not love her. Finally, as a
child, Abigail experienced a traumatic event of the murder of her parents. All of these events
lead up to Abigail developing a serious mental illness.
It becomes obvious though Abigail’s bizarre behaviors that she may have a personality
disorder like Delusional Disorder or Narcissistic Personality Disorder. In his work, Arthur Miller
is able to demonstrate the idea that without love and affection one can develop certain types of
personality disorders. Miller is able to demonstrate these ideas through the display of various
symptoms and select information from Abigail’s past. Delusional Disorder is recognized by the
numerous hallucinations. Abigail demonstrates these hallucinations several times, especially
when she is court accusing others of witchcraft. In addition, Abigail has symptoms of
Narcissistic Personality Disorder, best demonstrated by her ways of manipulating others and loss
of empathy for others. Both disorders can be caused by numerous situations; however, both
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disorders are majorly influenced by the level of love and acceptance received. Had Abigail
experienced the proper love and affection and shared loving relationships she may had never
begun to experience such symptoms. Finally, she may have failed to accuse many innocent
people, and Salem would not have been notorious for the malice witch trials.
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Works Cited
"301.81 Narcissistic Personality Disorder." Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders: DSM-IV-TR. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000. 71417. Print.
.Barry, Patricia D., and Suzette Farmer. Mental Health & Mental Illness. Philadelphia:
Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2002. Print.
“Delusional Disorder”. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR.
Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000. 323. Print.
Tabbert, Jerry. Personal interview. 23 April. 2013.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible, New York: Penguin Plays, 1982. Print.
Nelson, Cheryl. "Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Not Even A Diagnosis In 2013!." Journal Of
Psychohistory 40.4 (2013): 293-305. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
Poston, Bob. “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”. The Surgical Technologist. (August. 2009): 347 –
53. Association of Surgical Technologists. Web. 23 April. 2013.
“Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders." Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders: DSM-IV-TR. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000. 297
– 322. Print.
Weiner, Irving B., and W. Edward. Craighead. "Schizophrenia." The Corsini Encyclopedia of
Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2010. N. 1505. Print.