NPD, or Narcissistic Personality Disorder, is a diagnosis that has been playing around for a while as related to President Trump. I recall the first time I heard about it during the campaign. It was then, when much noise was made about the legitimacy of a candidate with NPD. Campaigns are weird, ugly, and seldom represent reality. All candidates stand there and try to present an alternative persona of themselves. A persona that will get them elected. For this reason they often promise things they know they cannot...

Recently I posted the list that psychologists and psychiatrists use to diagnose NPD, or Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I posted it as a reflection on how this diagnosis fits our President so closely and how two of those symptoms or traits scared me (#9 and #10 on the list). Today I want to talk about how #8 can be equally dangerous. As you may know, Congress and the Trump administration (the White House) are currently at war on at least two fronts; Trump's taxes and a copy of the...

I have always maintained the scariest trait of Trump is not just what he says to the crowds to rile them up, or his narcissism, or lack of mastery of language, or his fake orange-tan, or lies. While all of those are scary on their own, it is his lack of shame I fear most. Most of us do not give shame the credit it deserves. Shame is one of the most effective tools we, the people, have to keep powerful people in check. The focus of shame...

#trump #npd #2020election This past Sunday, ABC news released an exclusive interview with Trump which spanned over 30 hours. During the interview, George Stephanopoulos, talked to the President about his taxes. As of yet, Trump has not released his tax returns as he'd promised to do during the campaign. One of the suspicions for this lack of transparency is that Trump, who ran under the pretense of being a great businessman, may not be as successful as he boasted. This aspect has been reasonably documented elsewhere, so I'll...

#npd #trump #2020Election In our series of NPD symptoms expressed by Trump, we've reached one that I had not seen to this extent yet. In the past, at rallies, interviews, or speeches, he'd shown it with "little" nicknames he uses for people. Remember sleepy..., low-energy..., crooked..., shady..., and on and on. They are actually funny, even if he uses them to belittle people. Only, these attacks are Trump while in public, and he knows it. He knows he has to be likeable, even funny. What we end up...

This is the symptom that I find to be the most obnoxious. It reminds me of a small child that requires constant attention. I imagine a baby or toddler being hungry or thirsty, and their reaction to not getting their needs addressed immediately. I imagine the need for constant encouragement as they learn to babble, pickup stuff, walk, and generally get around in the world. Trump was elected in 2016 and he's had more rallies post-election than he did during his campaign. Just this year he's had 6...