Let’s play a game. I will give you clues about somebody who suffers from a serious personality disorder, and you will guess who that person is. Okay, let’s go.
The origin of the word “narcissism” comes from Narcissus, a character in Greek mythology. Narcissus saw his reflection in a body of water and was so taken by it that he lost his will to live, refused to budge and died admiring his own image.
The Mayo Clinic defines narcissism as a personality disorder—a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self- esteem that’s vulnerable to the slightest criticism.
Have you already guessed who the person is? If not, don’t worry, because there are more clues.
There are many signs and symptoms of a narcissistic personality disorder, so let me list just some of them delineated by the Mayo Clinic:
—Have an exaggerated sense of self-importance
—Have a sense of entitlement and require constant, excessive admiration
—Exaggerate achievements and talent
—Believe they are superior and can only associate with equally special people
—Monopolize conversations and belittle or look down on people they perceive as inferior
—Take advantage of others to get what they want
—Have an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
—Behave in an arrogant or haughty manner, coming across as conceited, boastful and pretentious
By now you should have a pretty good idea whom we’re talking about, but if you still need a few more clues, here goes:
The Mayo Clinic reports that people with a narcissistic personality disorder have trouble handling anything they perceive as criticism, and they can:
—Become impatient or angry when they don’t receive special treatment
—Have significant interpersonal problems and easily feel slighted
—React with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make themselves appear superior
—Have difficulty regulating emotions and behavior
—Experience major problems dealing with stress and adapting to change
I am running out of clues. Perhaps some quotes by the individual will make it crystal clear who this person is:
“No one is more conservative than me.”
“No one is stronger on the Second Amendment than me.”
“No one respects women more than me. No one reads the Bible more than me.”
“There’s nobody more pro-Israel than I am.”
“There’s nobody that’s done so much for equality as I have.”
“There’s nobody who feels more strongly about women’s health issues.”
“Nobody knows more about taxes than me, maybe in the history of the world.”
“Nobody’s ever been more successful than me.”
“Nobody knows banking better than I do.”
“Nobody knows more about debt than I do.”
“Nobody’s bigger or better at the military than I am.”
“I am the least racist person you’ll ever meet.”
“I can be more presidential than anybody. I would say more presidential, and I’ve said this a couple of times, more presidential other than the great Abe Lincoln.”
You finally guessed that our current president is the subject of this piece—yes, Donald Trump, who is more presidential than any of our presidents other than Abe Lincoln. The good news is, Trump doesn’t put himself ahead of Lincoln—at least for now.