Guest post: He would survey the smoking ruins and announce that they were losers anyway
Originally a comment by A Masked Avenger on The classic symptoms of medium-grade mania.
Adult child of narcissist here. While I’m not qualified to diagnose, and Drumpf is not my patient, he checks every box for narcissistic personality disorder. This idea of mania is interesting, but I’d suggest that if so his mania is comorbid with NPD.
Although the specifics are sometimes surprising, all of his behaviors are either predictable or explainable by this hypothesis. The fact that he became jealous of a baby stealing attention from him is classic. ACoNs can tell stories of their parents visiting and losing it because a new baby stole their show. “She actually believed I love when a baby cries while I’m speaking.” That’s right: I’M speaking, you rude fucking baby.
He recently accused fire marshals of turning away supporters from in-filled halls. It reads to me as random bullshit triggered by this same stream of consciousness. First he brags about his many fans; then it occurs to him to comment that this is only a small sample of his many many more fans; then he suggests that many more fans were disappointed not to be present; then it hits him that someone must be to blame for that; and of course all detractors and other ego-threats are ultimately manifestations of a single entity (Not-Me), just as most of us are extensions of his ego; therefore the fire marshals can only thwart him if they’re supporting Hillary and probably acting on her direct orders…
For me it’s quite triggering. I’ve rid my life of one malignant person for whom I don’t exist except as an extension of and food supply for his ego, and who will do anything, cause unlimited harm, in service to his ego, without any conscience at all. And here another who wants to run the entire country I live in, and get his hands on the nuclear football. (My hypothesis predicts that if it were up to only himself, he would nuke a country–or a US city–without hesitation if he perceived it as a threat to his ego. He would survey the smoking ruins and announce that they were losers anyway.)
And worse are the enablers–all the family members who tell you it’s you, not him, and who validate his every narcissistic fantasy. Partly to stay on his good side, and partly because he has made that kind of narcissistic behavior the new normal. We’re now surrounded by millions who simultaneously believe he will build a wall and are prepared to tell us we’re idiots for ever thinking he meant that literally.
Very well deserved guest post in my simple opinon. Cudos!
One of the things I keep muttering to myself when a picture of the orange baboon jumps out at me before I can avoid it is, “Imagine having to *live* with someone like that.”
And you have. Major kudos for making it through so well.
I can’t get over the fact that he’s got more than one vote. Millions support that POS. What in the name of all that’s orange do they see in that steaming pile?
I’ve only had to deal with friendship with an NPD person and… it was a nightmare.
And it’s one of the reasons I oppose Trump. I swear, the man will seek an excuse to use a nuke to ensure he is remembered, because being important is the one thing they actually care about.
Armchair diagnosis game: yes, I see the narcissism but what I see even more strongly is classic sociopathy, known these days as anti-social personality disorder (which generally includes a good dollop of narcissism).
Let’s see. Using the WHO ICD 10
Callous unconcern for the feelings of others;
Gross and persistent attitude of irresponsibility and disregard for social norms, rules, and obligations;
Incapacity to maintain enduring relationships, though having no difficulty in establishing them;
Very low tolerance to frustration and a low threshold for discharge of aggression, including violence;
Incapacity to experience guilt or to profit from experience, particularly punishment;
Marked readiness to blame others or to offer plausible rationalizations for the behavior that has brought the person into conflict with society.
The inability to maintain relationships can be a bit of a red herring – many classic APDs are married or the equivalent but there is likely to be little intimacy within the relationship and there is a high likelihood of infidelity. Equally the conflict with society may be missing or, rather, those behaviours may be channelled in to areas where they are accepted. Think the ruthless CEO or, y’know, the guy who sells semi-fraudulent university degrees… Grandiosity is often an observable symptom. APDs have little appreciation for their limitations or any realistic self-assessment of their actual talents which may lead them into taking on tasks they are highly ill-equipped for. Like, maybe, a reality TV show participant and failed businessman deciding he can run for president… APDs can also be highly charismatic. Well, something has to explain the Drumpf’s following…
The smoking ruins are likely to be american ruins after president trump’s foreign policy has pushed other powers so hard and threatened them so much that they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike. Don’t think it won’t happen? read some of the russian or chinese blogs and media sources. Not that it’ll be much different with Clinton – the neocon favourite.
Oh, I know. I assumed that was the meaning.