Seven deadly sins: Evagrius Ponticus
Eight evil thoughts, or eight evil spirits, and seven virtues
Pride is the root of all evil thoughts.
When an evil thought is meditated upon so frequently that it becomes a stronghold, it can become demonic.
Pride isn’t simply rejoicing in yourself and the way God made you. It is good to give thanks and to celebrate who he made you to be and to enjoy your accomplishments! Pride is different. Pride is wanting to be God. Narcissism is an example of pride. Pride is vicious and selfish.
From the trunk of pride grow the branches of The Seven Deadly Sins:
(1) gluttony1, (2) improper sex, (3) greed, (4) envy, (5) wrath, (6) acedia (i.e., spiritual detachment, apathy, depression, avoiding doing good works), (7) vanity/ vainglory.
These lists were the beginnings of psychotherapy! The Desert Fathers were counseling monks, and they saw patterns in the struggles of people. This list of The Seven Deadly Sins are the list of core problems they observed.
The “cure” was to develop the corresponding virtue in place of the vice. To replace the disordered affection with the proper affection.
The seven virtues are: (1) Temperance not gluttony, (2) chastity not bad sex, (3) charity and generosity not greed, (4) gratitude and kindness not envy, (5) patience not wrath, (6) diligence not acedia2, and (7) humility not vanity.
Although I’ve not read it in the Desert Fathers, the best way to insulate oneself and to protect oneself from pride (including from a narcissistic person), is true humility. True humility is deep intimacy with God. Total dependence on God and fear and awe and love of Him. Deep intimacy with God is good protection from a narcissist.
Gluttony is overconsumption of anything to the point of waste. When the prosperous gorge themselves to wastefulness, the needy go without necessities.
Thomas Aquinas saw gluttony (when applied to food) as any excess attention. His five kinds of gluttony are eating too: (1) expensively (2) daintily, (3) excessively, (4) soon, and (5) eagerly. The worst is eating impulsively, for earthy pleasure, like Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup.
Godupdates.com defines gluttony as “filing the stomach instead of the heart” and cites to Philippians 3:19. It can include overindulging in things other than food (such as TV).
John Loren Sanford wrote a book entitled “Awakening the Slumbering Spirit” which I haven’t read, but which appears to be relevant to acedia.