This story in Salon prompted me to reflect on my own, and other psychotherapists’, attempts to warn the public about Donald Trump’s dangerous psychopathology.
At least this article is unlike another I read recently which seemed not to accurately describe the large number of mental health professionals explaining why Trump’s psychological condition made him dangerous. This one not only names several prominent ones who have gone public about Trump including Robert Jay Lifton (who merited a Wikipedia page before he spoke out about Trump) and Bandy Lee and John D Gartner who became well known and got their Wiki recognition after they went public with their alarm over the president’s dangerous mental state. In fact as readers here know the number is probably close to 95% of all the psychotherapists in America (and the world).
From Salon:
"Major newspapers and television networks largely refuse to publish or air consideration of Trump's mental health, ignoring the consensus of hundreds of the most prestigious academics and doctors in the field"
I wrote about this a few days ago focusing on Rachel Maddow, and last year on the liberal media in general.
The Salon article went on to say:
"More than a thousand mental health professionals are now on the record declaring that Donald Trump is mentally unfit for office, but leading Democrats still refuse to discuss the issue openly."
What they missed was the fact that Bandy Lee, who edited “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump” gave copies to all Democratic members of Congress and has had meetings with a number of them in January, 2018: Washington's growing obsession: The 25th Amendment — Lawmakers concerned about Trump's mental health invited a Yale psychiatry professor to brief them in December.
By now if you have decided to look at this diary I’d venture an immodest guess that you already know I have been writing about Trump’s psychopathy on Daily Kos since my first story on April 19, 2016. I’ve republished that story below. Aside from not labeling him as a malignant narcissistic and an exemplar of the Dark Triad it is even more relevant today than it was when I wrote it since he has only gotten worse.
I wrote about this before I even knew there was a constellation of characteristics that Erich Fromm and Otto Kernberg described as malignant narcissism. Clinical psychologist John D. Gartner, founder of the Duty to Warn group was the first to explain what this meant in the media in a OpEd in USA Today: Donald Trump's malignant narcissism is toxic: Psychologist. Prior to reading about malignant narcissism I considered Trump to be an example of someone with all the characteristics (or symptoms if you like) of narcissistic personality disorder. It wasn’t until June, 2019 when I learned that there was another psychological concept called The Dark Triad which fit Trump as well or better than malignant narcissism. I wrote about it here.
I also tweeted about Trump and the Dark Triad and it had over 36,000 impressions.
The following is my first story about Trump’s psychopathology. For many of you it is old news so you may just want to skip it.
It was a story I hung on what I considered to be a revealing Freudian slip and actually illustrated it with a picture of a craps table and originally titled “Trump’s misspeak about 7-11 tells us a lot about him.” In retrospect I think I could have eliminated this part of my story if only because so many people think referencing Freudian slips is nothing but psychobabble. Not that every story needs a hook to catch readers, but with Trump some of his behavior leads me to use it to illustrate a point. An example is his comment about Mitt Romney which prompted my Dark Triad story.
The more I observed the way Trump seemed to talk like he’s on amphetamines the more I became convinced that there’s something wrong with the way his brain functions. I’m not talking about all the traits he has of clinical narcissistic personality disorder. I am referring to cognitive functioning. That’s just what this country needs, a narcissist with a broken brain.
Does his obsession with illegal immigration come from having Mexican jumping beans in his brain? That’s how he talks. When faced with a microphone he has to fill empty moments with talking points.
Under the least bit of pressure he demonstrates that he has what therapists like me call a looseness of associations or derailment, i.e. shifting from one topic to another in ways that are obliquely related or completely unrelated. This is often a symptom of serious mental disorders.
Coming out of his voting place this morning, when reporters asked how it felt to be voting for himself, he couldn’t even answer that simple question with a reflective feeling-centered response. He said, apparently referring to himself, that “it’s a great honor for New York.” He had to throw in “my whole reason for doing this is to make America great again.”
That is something that gets therapists to wondering about both a person’s cognitive functioning and their ability to be introspective. If someone isn’t introspective I doubt they have much interest in understanding how other people feel.
One of the prominent characteristics of a narcissist is lack of empathy:
Simply put, narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of ultraconfidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism. (Mayo Clinic)
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a disorder that is characterized by a long-standing pattern of grandiosity (either in fantasy or actual behavior), an overwhelming need for admiration, and usually a complete lack of empathy toward others. People with this disorder often believe they are of primary importance in everybody’s life or to anyone they meet. While this pattern of behavior may be appropriate for a king in 16th Century England, it is generally considered inappropriate for most ordinary people today. ( Psych Central )
Of course, a narcissist can be a hedonist. There is evidence that Trump fits the definition of a hedonist. A hedonist lives for pleasure. Trump’s lifestyle is hedonistic. The ostentatious trappings of wealth combined with the enormous pleasure he takes in amassing money.
Not to be too syrupy, but what, you may ask this therapist, is my definition of a healthy balance in life? I agree with just about every psychologist and philosopher that a life well-lived is based on love, faith (for some), expressing creativity, making a contribution and doing for others. On the later, nobody has ever suggested Trump is an altruist!
Trump is a New Yorker. He’s speaking in New York, and instead of 9/11, he just referred to that tragic iconic event, an event that changed our world as much as Pearl Harbor, and now is simply known by the date it occurred on as 9/11.
“I was down there and I watched our police and our firemen, down on 7-11, down at the World Trade Center, right after it came down,” Trump said. “And I saw the greatest people I’ve ever seen in action.”
Seven and 11 are the winning first throws in the dice game of craps. This is why novice players sometimes say “seven come 11” before they throw the dice
One could say that because Trump made a fortune on gambling, and that these numbers are always near the forefront of his consciousness.
This isn’t merely a misspeak, it is a Freudian slip. This tells us far more about Trump and shouldn’t be written off. It has convinced me that he really does want to be president for one reason, and it’s not to make America great again as he says.
It’s so he can be the most powerful person in the world.