Last October, before he was elected president of the United States, I, among others, put forward the hypothesis that Donald Trump was a narcissist. I based my interpretation on the fact that he fulfilled practically all the criteria included in the classification of narcissism established by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in many countries.
The symptoms of this syndrome include the following: Grandiosity; fantasies of power and personal attractiveness; self-perception of being unique; needing constant admiration form others; sense of entitlement; exploitation of others for personal gain; intensely envious of others and pompous and arrogant demeanor. His behavior at the time, which became even more evident since becoming president, only confirmed this hypothesis.
More recently, however, John D. Garner, a practicing psychotherapist who advised psychiatric residents at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, went a step further and stated that Trump has "malignant narcissism" which is different from narcissistic personality disorder and which is incurable. "We have seen enough public behavior by Donald Trump now that we can make this diagnosis indisputably," says Garner.
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