BRUNO LEMAITRE, APRIL 2016It is rumored that Nobel Prize–winning molecular biologist Jacques Monod’s final words were, “I seek to understand.” The deathbed statement of this pioneering researcher seems to echo the idealistic scientific search for truth. But some of his close colleagues have suggested that seeking truth was only one part of Monod’s story. Other contemporaries were struck by Monod’s robust ego: his strong need to dominate others and his thirst for fame.
Even Monod’s interpersonal relationships could be seen as optimal for a man in search of power. He married a well-connected woman—the sister-in-law of a famous geneticist. Later, he had an extramarital relationship with a skilled research assistant: an excellent way to keep tabs on his other colleagues in the institute. Monod also had an affair with a journalist at the French newspaper Le Monde, another advantageous relationship for someone desiring public recognition.
With his extreme self-confidence, domineering nature, and attention-seeking behavior, Monod might be described as a narcissist. In my latest book, An Essay on Science and Narcissism, I dissect how such traits influenced Monod and other scientific heavyweights.
Psychological studies show that narcissistic individuals tend to use human relationships to attain positions of authority ...
