Trump accused of 'malignant narcissism' – but how accurately are you able to judge someone you've never met?

Self absorption. conceited A braggart. It doesn't take a mental health skilled to acknowledge these characteristics as narcissism. Most of us, no matter our academic background, are confident in labeling someone we now have never met.

Other behavioral characteristics related to narcissism could also be similarly evident, including a grandiose sense of self, excessive need for attention and praise, lack of empathy, and lashing out at criticism.

Public figures have often been the topic of speculation as as to whether their behavior meets a mental health diagnosis. Before the US presidential election, Donald Trump's mental fitness has once more turn into an issue mark. This time, 200 mental health professionals signed one. An open letter Warning the general public of Trump's “malignant narcissism.”

The letter, sponsored by an anti-Trump political group, argues that Trump is an “existential threat to democracy” within the United States. Citing the American Psychological Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disordersmental health professionals argue that Trump meets the diagnostic criteria for narcissistic, antisocial and paranoid personality disorder. They claim that “all this is made worse by his intense sadness, which is a symptom of malignant narcissism.”

Malignant narcissism The above are considered to be a mixture of personality disorders, along with the sadistic desire to harm others and derive pleasure from doing so. For example, the letter states: “According to first-hand accounts, Trump watched the violence on TV for three hours on Jan. 6 with 'joy,' replaying his favorite parts on 'rewind' over and over again.” ' Seen.

Although Trump has not been formally assessed by a psychologist, any diagnosis put forth within the letter, he argues that “it is easy to see that Trump meets the behavioral criteria of antisocial personality disorder. meet”.

The signatories argue that hundreds of hours of media coverage of Trump's behavior have shown “failure to follow social norms and rules, repeated lying, reckless disregard for the safety of others, irritability, recklessness, irresponsibility and has shown a lifelong pattern of “lack of remorse”. . Other psychologists A similar conclusion has been reached.

The Goldwater Principle

A rule developed by the American Psychiatric Association, called The Goldwater Principleconsiders it unethical to diagnose individuals who haven't been personally assessed by a psychologist.

The rule is known as after Barry Goldwater, a former U.S. senator and 1964 Republican presidential candidate who was labeled “psychotic” and “schizophrenic” by psychiatrists who responded to a Fact magazine survey. gave Goldwater successfully sued the magazine for defamation and won. $75,000 punitive settlement (£57,779).

200 signatures on an open letter about Trump consider they will justify overturning this moral duty on the grounds that the general public must be warned about Trump's behavior.

However, it might be argued that clinicians don't must make a diagnosis to warn us that a public figure is a threat to our safety. Media coverage of Trump's threat is overwhelming and folks can draw their very own conclusions without having to label him.

This is because speculative evaluations can do more harm than good. Casual use of mental health terms can quickly turn into derogatory, because the press has demonstrated with respect to Trump. Other celebrities.

Speculations about Trump's mental illness proceed on social media. Obsessive-compulsive disorder To Delusional disorderjust remember that these terms are only assumptions. And more importantly, they shame and humiliate those that actually suffer from these conditions.

Correctness

But how accurately can a mental health skilled diagnose someone who is just not their patient? Would you trust the diagnosis of a physician you've never met? Probably not.

That said, an external perspective does have some benefits in the case of psychological assessment. Studies show that other people (spouses, close friends, neighbors) often provide rather a lot. Reliable assessment of 1's personality in comparison with self-evaluations, particularly in relation to addictive qualities.

Research using self-report measures suggests that narcissistic people distort their responses to reinforce themselves. For personality studies, self-reported responses together with a psychiatrist's assessment and assessments from family and friends will provide the very best insight.

Social media offers one other layer. A 2015 study found that a pc model could do that more accurately. Assess someone's personality based on their Facebook posts. Even from their closest friends – and even spouses. And there are literally thousands of social media posts for Trump.

But no matter how accurate these observations could also be, making public assumptions about someone's mental health and labeling them with a personality disorder diagnosis is unethical and at worst can have legal implications. are