Mythomania: A Psychodrama Revisited
Mythomania
A Psychodrama Revisited
By MICHAEL MANGOLD, M.D.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact me at [email protected]
No names have been changed to excuse the guilty.
Enjoy, Learn, and Grieve
DEDICATIONS
I dedicate this book first to my baby sister Mary Esther Mangold-Derrig. You are beautiful, wise, loving, supportive, generous, and kind. I’m your biggest fan and am honored to be your brother. I would love nothing more than to play catch with you again. Maybe someday.
I love you, Moo.
I dedicate this book to my wonderful sister Kathleen Marie Spoto (Mangold) too, my hero. I am very proud of you, Kate. You are sincere, motivated, kind, gentle, intelligent, wise, and a model mother and wife. I wish I could shimmy like my sister Kate.
You know I love you!
I also dedicate this book to the most influential person in my life: my mother Esther Mary Mangold (Wagner) July 23, 1932-January 4, 2021.
Unfortunately, my mom died while I was revising this book the first time, so she never got to see this Dedication. Esther was special to everyone who knew her. She was sympathetic and kind, truly the first Empath I knew. I miss her like nothing else. She was the best Mother a boy could ever want.
I love you, Mom. Rest in Power.
20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son”. 22 But the father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found”. And they began to celebrate.
---Luke 15:20-24 English Standard Version
PREFACE
Mythomania: An excessive or abnormal propensity for lying and exaggerating.
Mythomaniac: Noun or adjective; a pathological liar.
“This is one of the oldest and most effective tricks in politics. Every hack in the business has used it in times of trouble, and it has been elevated to the level of political mythology in a story about one of Lyndon Johnson’s early campaigns in Texas. The race was close, and Johnson was getting worried. Finally, he told his campaign manager to start a massive rumor campaign about his opponent’s lifelong habit of enjoying carnal knowledge of his own barnyard sows.
‘Christ, we can’t get away with calling him a pig-fucker,’ the campaign manager protested. ‘Nobody’s going to believe a thing like that.’
‘I know,’ Johnson replied. ‘But let’s make the sonofabitch deny it.’”
---Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ‘72 by Hunter S. Thompson
(Edited by me for clarity)
“As I have said, those who are evil are masters of disguise; they are not apt to wittingly disclose their true colors - either to others or to themselves. It is not without reason that the serpent is renowned for his subtlety.”
---People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck
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