Inventive Vices
Irrational Need (False Good)	Irrational Need to Avoid (False Bad)	Idealized Image	Personality Disorder Compensatory Narcissistic
to have an image of superiority and high worth	an image of inferiority	a superior individual of high worth	seeks to create an illusion of superiority and to build up an image of high self-worth
social recognition, status, and prestige	obscurity, low status, and lack of prestige	socially recognized, prestigious, with high status	strives for recognition and prestige to compensate for the lack of a feeling of self-worth
outstanding achievement	being out-achieved by others	out-achieving others	may acquire a deprecatory attitude in which the achievements of others are ridiculed and degraded
glory, honors, and fame	lack of glory, honors, or fame	honored and famous	has persistent aspirations for glory and status
praise and approval	others' critical judgments and disapproval	approved of and praised by others	is sensitive to how others react to him or her, watches and listens carefully for critical judgment, and feels slighted by disapproval
to be highly esteemed	being shamed or humiliated	highly-esteemed	is prone to feel shamed and humiliated and especially hyper-anxious and vulnerable to the judgments of others
greatness, perfection, genius, or stardom	lack of greatness, perfection, genius, or stardom	great, perfect, a genius, or a star	entertains fantasies of greatness, constantly striving for perfection, genius, or stardom
a highly valued spouse or partner; to be affirmed and confirmed in relationships	lack of a highly valued spouse; not being affirmed and confirmed	having a highly valued spouse or partner	has a history of searching for an idealized partner and has an intense need for affirmation and confirmation in relationships
to be their idealized self	being their actual self	perfect	frequently entertains a wishful, exaggerated, and unrealistic concept of himself or herself which he or she can't possibly measure up to
success and others' admiration	lack of success; not being admired	successful and admired	produces (too quickly) work not up to the level of his or her abilities because of an overwhelmingly strong need for the immediate gratification of success
to be respected and admired	being slighted and not receiving constant admiration	respected and admired	is touchy, quick to take offense at the slightest provocation, continually anticipating attack and danger, reacting with anger and fantasies of revenge when he or she feels frustrated in his or her need for constant admiration
love and approval from others	lack of love and approval	receiving much love and approval from others	is self-conscious, due to a dependence on approval from others
the attention and admiration of others	lack of attention and admiration	receiving much attention and the admiration of others	seeks to undo feelings of inadequacy by forcing everyone's attention and admiration upon himself or herself
fulfillment of their grandiose expectations	lack of fulfillment of their grandiose expectations	greatly accomplished	may react with self-contempt and depression to the lack of fulfillment of his or her grandiose expectations
to receive praise	being criticized	highly praised	has a tendency to exaggerate and boast

A vice is a firmly held false belief of the value of something. Vices dispose us to value as good or bad things not in our power, things external to our moral character. But it is irrational and prideful to desire, or to desire to avoid, to fear, externals. The irrational needs, or vices, of the Inventive type are based on particular false values.

All of the vices are rooted in pride, that firmly held false belief that we can provide ourselves with happiness by obtaining certain external 'goods' (cf. DeYoung, pp. 38-39).

If we are in the habit of making false value-judgments of particular externals, we should learn to bear the things falsely valued as bad, things for which we have an "irrational need to avoid," and forbear the things falsely valued as good, things for which we have an "irrational need." "Bear and Forbear" - Epictetus

Irrational Strategies for Obtaining Happiness

A Brief Theory of Bad Character

Rebecca DeYoung (2009). Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Their Remedies. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press.

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