Donald Trump carries a grandiose self-image that drives him to seek affirmation every minute of his day. This affirmation is like a drug to narcissists — it’s called supply. If Trump can’t get supply (e.g. admiration for his debate performance) then he will provide self supply, such as going into the spin room and tell reporters he was the best debater. This is a distortion of reality. And it is contagious. It’s like a virus. It’s dangerous — think Jim Jones.

The public deserves to know about Trump’s Narcissistic Personality Disorder and how it drives his behavior. Newspapers have a duty to warn the public about this dangerous aspect of Trump.

Professor Gary Maynard of Stony Brook University wrote, “Many narcissists are talented, and others view them as special. This element of a narcissist actually having apparent talent makes it hard to convince those around the narcissist that this person is not what they seem and that underneath the talent and feigned empathy is a monster of attention and energy that wishes for nothing but complete and utter power and control over as many people and institutions as possible.”

Maynard makes the point that if we are able to use Jim Jones and other narcissists as examples of what to look for, then we will be better able to reduce the damage that narcissists do in our lives and in society.  In a world with a large number of weapons of mass destruction, small arms, easy access to poison, growing access to social media coupled with general feelings of alienation and narcissistic cultural tendencies in American culture, it is imperative that we are able to identify and control these dangerous sociopathic narcissists before they become powerful enough to do too much damage. The fate of this nation and the world may depend upon this understanding.”

Pamela Roberts

Quilcene