‘Trump is “unraveling.” This, too, is predictable... he is likely experiencing profound mental agony.’ 🎁 😹
So far, most of the mainstream stories about Trump’s narcissism have been about whether mental health professionals should diagnose him from afar. That’s a worthy debate. But journalists are not psychiatrists. We are not bound by the rules of the American Psychiatric Association. We are bound by a duty to inform the public, without fear, drawing upon any source that may prove useful.
To make sense of Trump’s behavior, I did not call foreign policy experts or pundits. That would be like calling an astrologer to explain a flu pandemic. Instead, I called Wendy Behary, who wrote the book Disarming the Narcissist and has treated hundreds of narcissistic clients, including surgeons, Wall Street executives, and other powerful people, in her private practice in New Jersey. It was one of the most useful conversations I’ve had about Trump in months.
“His behavior is not remarkable. It’s predictable. It’s exactly what we’d expect. He just continues to be a consistent version of who he appears to be.”, Wendy Behary
Trump checks all the narcissistic boxes!
Narcissists, for example, need admiration the way addicts need substances. They believe they are truly special and yet not appreciated for their gifts, which can lead them to act entitled, as if the rules do not apply to them. In their quest for recognition, they sometimes exploit others, contradict what they’ve said, and break their promises — all the while arguing (and often truly believing) in their new, alternative facts. Once we know this, Trump’s tendency to revise history becomes unsurprising and explicable.
“Narcissists are so good at showing up as Messiahs”
Now, Behary says, Trump is “unraveling.” This, too, is predictable, which is why we need to talk about it, out in the open. As the bad news stacks up for Trump, including Republican losses in the midterms, a divided Congress, and continuing legal investigations, he is likely experiencing profound mental agony.
“Typically, when all else fails and narcissists are unable to get the attention and affirmation they need, they play the victim.”
So let’s stop living in the past, under the old rules of journalism and politics. Let’s start talking about mental health with the directness and care that our readers deserve.
If journalists want to help the public understand the world in which we live, it is time to find new pundits — the kind who have seen this all before, who can empathize with the president and his opponents, and who do not benefit from perpetuating the chaos.
