Why Did It Take So Long?
Within a few weeks now of the presidential
election, David Gergen on CNN finally said of President Donald Trump, “We are
in the grip of a madman”. Why did it
take so long? Why is it so meaningful? The answer to the first question is simple,
and to the second complex.
It took so long because the Corona virus
pandemic has been so overwhelming and the politicization of the science of the
response has been so confusing to the public.
The irrationality of the leadership during this national tragedy been
slow to emerge as an underlying contribution to the fact that after eight
months of near, the virus is again out of control. In the presence of such economic stress, the
people can be excused for being slow in questioning the mental status of their leader. Now it is out in the open and grounds for
discussion.
As to why it is meaningful to understand
this situation prior to the date of final voting is the fact that if elected,
we the people will have to deal with the diagnosis of madness for a second
term. To understand the situation now is
to understand that the president is and has been suffering from a mental
disorder called malignant or grandiose narcissism for a long time. Narcissism, according to the abstract noted
below, identifies people who display grandiosity of behavior, overconfidence,
risk taking, an inflated view of one’s abilities, and a sense of entitlement,
low social empathy, impulsiveness, and a willingness and ability to use others
to achieve their own self-interest. And why is that important? It is important because one of the facts that
science tells us is that this condition is characterized by chronic faulty
decision-making. That’s right! Along with the other requirements for making
a diagnosis, the ability for making rational and correct decisions is impaired.
This recent information does not come from
the psychiatric literature. No, it comes from the business world, specifically
in a publication by the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University,
authored by Charles A. O’Reilly, Professor of Management and co-author Nicholas
Hall, Associate Director of the Graduate School of Business Behavioral Lab. The paper published August 14 of this year is
entitled, “Grandiose Narcissists and Decision Making: Impulsive, Overconfident,
and Skeptical of Experts—but Seldon in Doubt,” published on line by Elsevier Public
Health Emergency Collection [a Public Health Emergency COVID 19 Initiative]. The abstract of this paper states that the
condition results in “a high likelihood of the grandiose narcissist as one who
is overly confident and convinced that they are special and better than others”. In addition, after getting the wrong answer, “grandiose
narcissists are more likely to blame others and remain self-confident in their
judgment.”
The
paper goes on to conclude that, “the grandiose narcissist is convinced that
they are specially more creative, competent and intelligent”: that, “they are
more likely to manipulate others even lying, cheating, and stealing”: and, “Research
has shown that because they often feel that they are not being recognized as
superior, grandiose narcissists often respond with hostility. In addition, “grandiose or malignant narcissists
have been shown to make choices more quickly than non-narcissists and that this
behavior can provide short-term benefits but lead to negative long-term
outcomes. Finally, Professor O’Reilly’s paper
adds that New York Times journalists have noted Trump’s profound need for personal
praise, the propensity to blame others, the penchant for rewriting history, the
lack of human empathy, the distortion of facts, and the impatience with
scrutiny or criticism, but in my opinion, it doesn’t seem to have acquired much
traction.
Yes, Mr. Gergen, Donald Trump is a madman-- specifically a sick grandiose
narcissist who should not be President of the United States or any other
organization. How crazy and ironic it is
that it has taken science from a business school, not a medical school to clear
the air.
