Donald Trump has Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). This is a confounding, permanent psychological disorder caused by severe childhood abuse. Trump’s cruel father was most likely the source of his abuse. It’s truly sad if someone has this condition. A child’s real self is sensitive and vulnerable. When faced with unrelenting abuse, some children create a “false self” to protect themselves.

The problem is the child’s real self withers and dies when the false self takes over. Their real self literally disappears and the child is only left with a self-constructed, internal fantasy identity and world. Their false self is god-like, grandiose, status seeking, lacks empathy, never makes a mistake, never loses, doesn’t follow rules, is either a victim or a winner, etc. People with NPD are seriously delusional and out of touch with reality.

Trump will never change and he can’t “get better.” NPD has no treatment yet known to be effective. As adults, people with NPD can’t let go of the false self because it would destroy them. There is nothing else there. The real self is just a black hole and that’s frightening. Unfortunately, these people are often charismatic and can draw others into their constructed internal “shared fantasy.”

Trump’s followers have been drawn into and are enabling the shared fantasy. So now they are also delusional. We have seen this dynamic before in our human history, most recently in Germany which led to WWII. We should never enable people with this disorder to “run for office.” This charade really needs to stop because the dynamic it creates is highly dangerous.

Pamela Roberts

Quilcene