Fanaticism can concern any human reality whatsoever (sport, politics, profession, etc.). In its most manifest forms, it is the expression of a personality disorder that is most evident in religious fanaticism. Besides there are as many typologies as there are personality traits.
The author describes the general lines of personality development common to all cultures. In the light of depth psychology (psychoanalysis), he points out how the formation of a personality disorder is due to a profound disharmony within the individual’s relationship with the environment, especially during the first years of life. The input from psychoanalysis explains the psychic dynamisms (splitting, denial, projection, projective identification, reaction formation, rationalization, etc.) that are at the base of a fanatic attitude, particularly religious. By favoring global internal and human growth, our own as well as that of others, and also through a more equable distribution of material and cultural wealth, and a more effective participation in the exercise of power on a worldwide scale, it would be possible to bring about the changes necessary for preventing the formation of fanatic personalities.