A Brief History of Grifting

Is It Bad For Mental Health?

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Grifting and virtue signaling are phenomena deeply rooted in predatory capitalism, evolving over centuries to exploit people's vulnerabilities and good intentions for profit. Grifting involves obtaining money or advantage through deceitful means, while virtue signaling entails expressing moral values or social concerns to enhance one's image rather than out of a reliable and solid commitment to facts. As a psychotherapist, I see the detrimental effects of these predatory practices on individuals’ mental health and wellbeing, emphasizing the need to understand and address their pervasive impact on our communities.

Medieval Origins

The roots of grifting and virtue signaling can be traced back to medieval times when religious trinkets and relics were sold to pilgrims as tokens of spiritual faith and piety. Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, written six hundred years ago, highlights this commercialization, depicting characters like the Pardoner who exploited pilgr…