An Armchair Psychoanalysis Of Donald J. Trump

Donald Trump has been a larger-than-life fixture on American television for about 30 years. A rich, flashy businessman, he has been well known for his towering buildings, beautiful wives, and top-rated TV shows for nearly a generation.

It has only been since about 2008 that "the Donald" has become well known for his politics. His insistence that President Obama had not proven he was not born in Kenya, his $5 million dollar offer for Obama's college transcripts, and his $5 million suit against political commentator Bill Maher for making an allegation that Trump's unique hair color proved he was the love child of his mother and an orange-haired orangutan (or maybe it was the other way around) heralded Trump's increasing political visibility. Unlike most advocates of the Obama "birther" theory, "the Donald" never backed down, and over the past seven years he has played his high political profile into (at the time this article is being written in December 2015) an apparently viable presidential candidacy.

Does Trump Have a Psychiatric Disorder?

Trump's loud and self-assured public statements have led some to speculate that he has what psychiatrists call a narcissistic personality disorder. Strictly speaking, psychiatrists and psychotherapists can't make public comments on an individual in their professional role. It would be unethical, and probably result in the loss of a license, to announce to the world that "Donald Trump has a narcissistic personality disorder." However, journalists, like the writer of this article, can take a look at the criteria for diagnosis and see if the facts match the armchair diagnosis.

Criteria for a Narcissistic Personality Disorder

The Mayo Clinic states that:

"If you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may come across as conceited, boastful or pretentious. You often monopolize conversations. You may belittle or look down on people you perceive as inferior. You may feel a sense of entitlement — and when you don't receive special treatment, you may become impatient or angry. You may insist on having "the best" of everything — for instance, the best car, athletic club or medical care."

A lot of this sounds very familiar when we look at Donald Trump. At first glance, it seems that maybe he does have a narcissistic personality disorder. However, in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), a diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder may be made when a patient displays at least five of the nine characteristics listed below (which are paraphrased for clarity). 

• A grandiose sense of self-importance and superiority.

• A preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love that are a standard for others or a goal for others.

• A belief that he or she is special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions, for example "the best schools" or "the most brilliant advisers."

• A need for excessive and constant admiration.

• A sense of entitlement, that there is never a reason not to get one's way.

• Interpersonally exploitive behavior.

• A lack of empathy or caring.

• Envy of others or a belief that others are envious of him or her.

• A demonstration of arrogant and haughty behaviors or attitudes.

However, people who have a narcissistic personality disorder use accomplishments, connections, and possessions to compensate for an inadequate "real self." Moreover, these personality characteristics must result in unwanted disruption in personal relationships or long-term problems in maintaining a functional role in society.

READ How To Recognize People With Narcissistic Personality Disorder

You can't say Donald Trump is any kind of failure. You may not like him, but there's no doubt that his style works for him. His success, after all, is huge. When narcissistic behaviors get highly functional results, you don't have a diagnosis. You just have a list. A bigger question, however, is why is any narcissist popular?

Some Narcissists Are Master Marketers

There are people who are focused on themselves who nonetheless are extremely persuasive of others. What is it about narcissists that make so many of them leaders? In terms of public persona, this seems to be Trump's game plan:

• Say things that drive all the attention of the news media in his direction, denying his opponents any coverage. Force opponents to respond as if Trump's opinions are the only opinions that matter.
• Force the public to focus on issues that work in Trump's favor, for example, linking his early stand against immigration to the fact that one of the recent shooters in a terror incident in California was an immigrant, who received guns from an American with a Hispanic name.
• Ask for far more than you expect to get, for example, Trump's recent demand that news network CNN pay him $5 million, which he would then donate to the charity of his choice, for his appearance in the next televised debate.
• Force people to see their world in terms of strength and weakness. People are drawn to strength in times of uncertainty.

(I'd like to take credit for these insights, but actually they were, as far as I know, first proposed by Dilbert cartoonist and blogger Scott Adams.)

Trump's political strategy seems to be working extremely well, far beyond the expectations of critics and pundits, but what does his personality tell us about what to expect next? Describing Trump as a narcissist, someone who is unusually concerned about himself, rather than as someone who has a narcissistic personality disorder, someone whose narcissism doesn't "work," the patterns that are likely to appear over and over again are:

• Shameless self-promotion. If something works, it is due to Trump's leadership. If something fails, it's because someone else was "stupid."
• Masterful management of impressions. It can be hard for the public to distinguish between arrogance and confidence. Trump's use of helicopters to fly to press conferences and his own "Air Force One, only more secure and beautiful" are designed to look Presidential.
• Leadership with the expectation of personal aggrandizement. The presidential agenda, whether proposed during the campaign, or the president's actual agenda should Trump win the nomination and the election, will be designed to focus attention on Trump.
• Managing credit and blame to Trump's favor. Whatever Trump's innermost beliefs about himself may be, he will act out a narrative of always being right and never being wrong. Scapegoats will be found, whether they are immigrants, the poor, Muslims, or just everyday "idiots."

There's a great deal about Trump's style that matches Americans' expectations that their leaders need to be confident, positive, strong, and selfish. Because Trump can dictate his news coverage, he will magnify the concerns among voters that result in favorable ratings.

READ Narcissistic Personality Disorder vs Antisocial Personality Disorder: What's The Difference?

Don't expect, however, for Donald Trump to manifest any of the weakness associated with narcissistic personality disorders. Don't expect him to crumble under pressure. Don't expect him to be desperate for attention, for the simple reason that his emotional needs will always be met. He is, after all, a billionaire who has been married to a succession of beautiful women who have given him amazing children. His buildings, are, with apologies for overworking the word, huge. He will always have anything he wants, except perhaps the Presidency of the United States. Whether or not he wins that office depends on just how insecure the American people are made by the news of the day.