I feel sorry for Trump. Really, I do. The man obviously has a mental illness (or three). I’m not saying he could be redeemed like Scrooge, but wouldn’t it be a good thing if somehow, he could be a role model showing how desperately we need mental health reform in this country, or even world?
It won’t happen of course, but it would be nice. Kind of like Betty Ford and breast cancer.
The problem with narcissistic personality disorder is that narcissists rarely see it as an illness. It also doesn’t seem to have any real treatment.
I have a friend who was clinically diagnosed with NPD as a teenager. He’s actually mostly overcome it, though the narcissism sometimes shines through. It’s clear that he’s developed a few techniques for detecting and avoiding his tendencies, and also by putting more effort in his relationships–in a sense, “paying back” the negatives by applying more positives (niceness, generosity, thoughtfulness, etc.). He hides it pretty well overall but it’s obviously a struggle.
However, this guy is smart and clearly reached a point where he realized he needed to change. No such thing is possible for Trump.
I wish people were better at detecting narcissism. It’s not always easy to distinguish confidence in one’s abilities vs. NPD-fueled obliviousness. Perhaps Trump can serve in that role as Exhibit A, though I don’t have much faith in that.
Thanks. I know there’s (probably) no hope for Trump, I just wish there were. But instead of the NPD coming to the forefront, it’s looking as though the sexual harassment issue is being talked about more.
If something good can come from that discussion, then that’s the “help” I’m looking for. In other words, any success is better than none.