Narcissism and Donald Trump

Psychology Today has diagnosed Donald Trump with narcissistic personality disorder. The problem with their definition of the narcissistic personality disorder is that it would include just about all of the world's major contributors. If it is narcissistic to want great success, then everyone who has achieved great success is a narcissist. And that means that the world owes vastly to people with narcissistic personality disorder.

For this reason I do not care if Donald Trump is a narcissist. My concern is how he stands to treat people. If Ted Turner – a billionaire – is his idea of a loser, then I do not know who isn't. A person with such attitudes will treat people with contempt. And that does not bode well for the people.

Is this a function of Donald Trump's alleged disorder? Well, Clinton was accused by the media of being a narcissist as well, but he cared about the people. If you are president, you have to care about the people, whether or not you are a narcissist. And even if Trump is a narcissist, he can still consciously choose to care about the people and do the right thing by them. If you are not naturally gifted with empathy you can use your mind to make up for what your heart is weak in and use your intelligence to figure out how to do the right thing.

It is a choice; it is always a choice. One doesn't choose to have a disorder, but one can still act rightfully in spite of it. If one is a narcissist, he still has a brain and a will. And that means that he can act in a rightful manner.

Will Trump act in a rightful manner? Well that is up to him. But he has a long way to go before he can show people that he cares about them. So far his behavior has been congruent with definition of the disorder; but it is up to him to choose to the contrary.