The Laws of Human Nature

The Death Ground Strategy refers to the idea that people perform at their best when they feel they have no other option but to succeed. Greene draws from military history to show how commanders placed their soldiers in positions where retreat was impossible, forcing them to fight with heightened urgency and efficiency. In modern life, this principle suggests that when individuals eliminate fallback plans or embrace situations where failure is not an option, they unlock a greater level of focus, determination, and resilience.

Deep narcissists are people with higher levels of narcissism than is healthy. Unlike most other people, deep narcissists “lack a coherent sense of self”, which is often attributed to “a sharp break” they experienced in their early development, typically between the ages of two and five (43-44). This break causes deep narcissists to “never quite construct a consistent and realistic feeling of a self” (44). Typically, deep narcissists either have narcissistic parents, who do not help them build a self-image, or “enmesher” parents, who are “overinvolved” and also disrupt the development of a sense of self (44). This creates individuals with a desperate need for attention. Such individuals are highly self-absorbed and tend to see people around them as “extensions of themselves” or “self-objects,” believing that they are entitled to what people can give them (45).

The Envy Chain is a cycle in which envy spreads from person to person, creating a ripple effect of resentment and hidden hostility. Greene explains that when people sense someone else’s success, they often respond with secret envy, which can lead to passive-aggressive behaviors, sabotage, or excessive competition. This dynamic is particularly prevalent in professional settings and social groups, where individuals struggle with the fear of being outshined. Recognizing when one is caught in an Envy Chain allows for greater self-awareness and the ability to redirect envy into motivation rather than bitterness.

A Reality Group is “a group that exerts an upward pull” and “consists of members who feel free to contribute their diverse opinions, whose minds are open, and whose focus is on getting work done and cooperating on a high level” (423). Greene encourages people to form these types of groups, as these groups bring out the best emotions and traits in people. People can do this by “establishing an ideal…a definite purpose, a positive mission that unites its members.” Groups should include competent people with strong characters and allow “frank discussion up and down the line,” encouraging productivity and challenging members with tasks to build their character (433-436). This will reduce the likeliness of the group falling into negative patterns.

The Shadow Self represents the darker, repressed aspects of one’s personality that individuals often refuse to acknowledge. Greene argues that people who fail to confront their shadow selves will eventually have these suppressed traits manifest in destructive ways, such as self-sabotage, aggression, or irrational behavior. He highlights Richard Nixon as an example, explaining that Nixon’s insecurities and anxieties—rooted in childhood neglect—became more vicious as he tried to repress them, ultimately leading to his downfall. Acknowledging and integrating the shadow self is crucial for self-awareness and emotional mastery.

The Sublime is the experience of confronting “something we cannot know or verbalize,” particularly the inevitability of death as “the ultimate mystery” that no “amount of science or technology or expertise” can resolve (584). The word originates from a Latin root meaning “up to the threshold” and is also defined as “anything that exceeds our capacity for words or concepts by being too large, too vast, too dark and mysterious” (584-85). Greene encourages people to embrace The Sublime as a way to accept their mortality, finding beauty in life’s uncertainties. He suggests that recognizing the vastness of the universe in contrast to oneself and appreciating the randomness and wonder of existence can foster a deeper sense of peace with life’s mysteries, including death.