Poe wrote many times about human irrationality, or the impulse to act without control or discernable motivation. In “The Imp of the Perverse,” Poe explores the concept of “perverseness” in depth, portraying it as a naturally occurring universal trait. This dark, irresistible urge defies rational explanation despite rigorous self-examination and can overwhelm the rational mind’s attempts to control and suppress it. The narrator suggests that this “Imp” is the driving force behind irrational actions and the source of humanity's propensity for folly.

Poe depicts an irrational protagonist who initially presents himself in rational and logical terms. His opening treatise demonstrates that he is capable of conceptualizing highly intelligent proofs regarding the nature of the mind. His self-defined characteristic of perverseness and its mechanisms are described at length through both abstract and personal examples. The narrator’s capacity for seemingly objective self-examination is also revealed through this theoretical discussion. In a verbose and lofty discursive argument, he establishes credibility, building his case for the universal trait of perverseness. He asserts that one “innate and primitive principle of human action” is that the “assurance of the wrong” of an action is “the one unconquerable force which impels us” to act on it (3).