The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump Book Review

The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump is a book by 27 psychiatrists and psychologists who appraise and analyze Trump with one big question in mind: is it safe for the world to take Trump equally Usa president?

Contents

• Bullet Summary
• Full Summary
  • Trump Might Be Hedonist
  • Trump Might be Narcissist
  • Narcissism Scale
  • Types of Narcissists: Trump is Grandiose
  • Trump Presents Bullying Behavior
  • Is Trump a Sociopath?
  • Lack of Self Esteem
  • Flight or Fight State
  • Trusts Nobody: Constant Warring Mindset
  • Mentally Ill Leaders Aren't E'er Ineffective
  • Functional Impairment Should exist Measured
  • Dangerous is Not a Psychiatric Diagnosis
  • Trump Relationships (Begetter, Wife, Daughter)
• Existent Life Applications
• CONS
• PROS
• Review

Bullet Summary

• Trump might be a pathological narcissist (possibly a malignant narcissist) and a sociopath
• Merely the question is not Trump's psychiatric diagnosis (many U.s. presidents had psychiatric disorders), but whether or not he's dangerous (and he might be)
• Curt term it would be safety if the military did not act on possible Trump's orders (as it happened in the terminal days if Nixon's assistants)
• Long term, nosotros need presidents to undergo mental wellness checks similar military personnel have to

Full Summary

In that location are too many authors for me to go along rails on the audiobook, hence I volition refer to "authors" without specifying names.

Trump Might Exist Hedonist

Present hedonists live in the present moment without much thought of the consequences of their deportment.
A present hedonist volition say whatever information technology takes to increase his self esteem and prop his ego, no matter what'due south existent or not and no thing what's dangerous and what'due south not.

The author guesses that Trump stopped his emotional growth at age 13.
Without therapy nowadays hedonist do not mature across their historic period of trauma.

Extreme present hedonists have impulsive thoughts that atomic number 82 to impulsive actions. Sometimes digging their heels to avert the consequences of their deportment.

When in a position of power, it's the people around the farthermost hedonist that have to scramble to brand upward for his initial impulsive deportment.

As a present hedonist Trump is unfit to be a president.

Trump Might be Narcissist

More than 1 author stressed Trump'southward narcissism.

Narcissists have a huge ego that always needs feeding and recognition.
However, they really have a very delicate ego. That ways they cannot handle criticism.

They too run into other people as merely mirrors: only useful equally long as they reverberate the special view of themselves that they so long to see.

Narcissism Calibration

Craig Malkin says that on a scale from 1 to 10, existence betwixt 4 and half-dozen is really healthy.

The vast majority of salubrious people do feel a little special, fifty-fifty if just privately. They are more than optimistic, happier and more consistently confident than people on the lower cease of the scale.
And executives in the middle of the scare are rated as far more effective than those with too little or likewise much.

In that case, it's a slightly unrealistically positive self-image. Imagine it like slightly rose-tinted lenses: they change the perception of the globe effectually yous, but non so much equally to change reality.

Moderately egotistic teams are far less depressed and even meliorate relationships.

Narcissism is bad though when you are at either terminate of the scale.

Yet, ane writer says:almost all presidents would score high enough to be considered narcissists.
Notwithstanding, the more it raises, the more likely it is that information technology becomes counterproductive and leading to behavior such every bit stealing, breaking the rules, actress-marital affairs and cheating (on taxes for example).

Pathological Narcissism

At the middle of pathological narcissism lay three unsafe "EII":

• Intolerant (acting like the world owes them)
• Exploitation (use people to make them feel special, no matter what information technology takes)
• Empathy-dumb (ignore the feelings of anybody else because just their needs affair)

Types of Narcissists: Trump is Grandiose

In that location are many types of narcissists, and the ones we are more familiar with are the extrovert types. They are known every bit "obvious", "overt" or "grandiose" in the research.

This type of narcissists seeks and craves the spotlight.
And Trump is this type of extrovert, loud narcissist.

Trump Presents Bullying Behavior

I quote here as it'southward very interesting:

Relational aggression, ofttimes referred to as emotional bullying, is a sneaky type of bullying that manifests as social manipulation.
(…) Goal is to ostracize others to gain social continuing and to command others

Indeed, I tin convene Trump has shown at times a type of beliefs which could be considered as bullying.

Is Trump a Sociopath?

The first author makes that case that Trump might be a sociopath.
A sociopath does not have an dumb empathy, simply a total lack or nigh total lack of it.

When narcissism and sociopathy combine, they form a patter chosen cancerous narcissism. They are so driven past their desire to be special that everyone effectually is just a pawn for their self aggrandizing.

Lack of Self Esteem

Trump lacks self esteem, which leads him to take action to prove himself to himself and to the world.

My Note: This Might Be Incorrect
At that place might exist some truth here, but it's not presented correctly. As psychologist Baumeister shows, abusive people have big egos, simply frail self-esteem.

Flight or Fight State

Trump tin devolve into survival manner at moment'south detect.
He has few calm in betwixt states, and is often attacking and counterattacking as if his life depended on information technology.

Trusts Nobody: Abiding Warring Mindset

Trump doesn't trust anyone.
And he sees the world as a place of sharks where you are either a victim or you victimize others.

Mentally Sick Leaders Aren't Always Ineffective

Craig Malkin says that equating mental illness with incapacity stigmatizes the mentally sick and is non always correct.
Instead, what's key is danger to themselves or others.

A diagnosis of NPD (narcissist personality disorder) does non by itself mean that a leader will be ineffective.
Steve Jobs likely had NPD (abusing staff).
He was probably a high functioning NPD, such every bit he could maintain "expert enough" relationships and keeping his outbursts from completely blowing up the workplace.

Functional Impairment Should exist Measured

Craig Malkin says that instead of measuring mental illness, we should be measuring functional impairment.
Such as how much their mental state -or affliction- allows them to manage their tasks, their human relationship and their feelings when information technology comes to determination making without causing danger to themselves or others.

NPD tin lose touch with reality in ways that can go dangerous.
For case, when reality does not let them to exist admired and recognized as they crave, they demand to "bend or invent" a reality in which they remain special.
When that happens, narcissists get dangerously psychotic.

Malkin makes the point that Trump might exist at this phase as he denies having said statements that are on tape and can easily be checked.

Dangerous is Not a Psychiatric Diagnosis

Nosotros shouldn't worry whether Trump is mentally ill, just if he is dangerous.
And dangerous is not a psychiatric diagnosis.

One does not demand to be mentally ill to be unsafe, and the association betwixt violence and mental disease is tenuous.

Trump Relationships (Father, Wife, Daughter)

There were also some gilded nuggets on the relationship between Trump and his father, Trump and his girl and Trump and his romantic relationships.

Some authors say that Trump shows some traits which are in common with abusers also. Like for example overreacting when he feels his ego threatened.

With his daughter, Trump said that if he wasn't happily married and his father, he would date her. And seemed to get happily forth with a radio host telling of Ivanka that "she is a piece of equally*"

Real Life Applications

Let'southward All Be Less Conceited
We have enjoyed a few centuries of democracy now and nosotros might have grown conceited that information technology'south a safe organisation to guarantee peace and prosperity.
Simply 2 centuries is nothing.
And nosotros shouldn't be conceited about it.
Let'due south all remind ourselves that it'south our duty to contribute to a prosperous and peaceful world

CONS

Sometimes Feels Politically Biased
Some passages sounded politically-motivated.
A Jewish doctor discussing how the near conservative fringes of his family remember and bear, for case.
Or I quote another instance here:

(…) And offered loving back up to those who suffered hatred.
(…)
That'south united states of america, that's the Usa

I cringed a bit there.
We didn't demand an author who pretends to speak for a whole nation.
We wanted expert's stance on mental wellness. With evidences and video examples I can check please.

Lawsuits And Protests as Prove?
Sometimes I find very shaky grounds on which to "accuse" Trump that had little to do with a clinician's opinion.
For example lawsuits of sexual harassment. Lawsuits cannot serve as evidences. Just consider that in the United states of america millionaires are simply easier targets to make  a quick buck.
Or another bit in the book mentioned about the protest against Trump'due south victory as the largest in Usa history. Once more, that says nothing.

Fluctuating Quality
Some authors wrote incredibly deep pieces that enlightens the readers and taught me so much -Craig Malkin was my favorite-.
But some other authors were not as engaging and deep.

Some Weak Accusations
Sometimes information technology felt as the authors were only out to tell us how "bad" Trump is.
Most people knew that.
I call back The Dangerous Example of Donald Trump would have strongly benefited if it had but been about impartial analysis.
For instance, speculating on how Trump would accept performed poorly on the Cuban missile crunch shouldn't have any place ere.

Same Topics Over and Over
As every new writer takes over, they sometimes repeat topics that other authors take already said.
For example we didn't demand to hear about the Goldwater Rule more than in one case. And we didn't need to hear that armed forces personnel must go through mental examination but the president doesn't.
Information technology's true, and it's important, but one time was enough and would have saved fourth dimension and space to brand the book even more popular and widespread.

At Times Unscientific & Unprofessional
I quote what one of the authors -1 of my favorite BTW- says:

Hitler, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin know dubiousness all autumn into the category of malignant narcissists.

The underlining is mine of course because, ehm, well… No doubt?
Psychiatry is not an verbal science. And anyone giving diagnosis from afar, to someone whose language they don't fifty-fifty understand is bound to come up across as (highly) unscientific.

PROS

Peachy to Empathize Psychology
You really go a lot of dissimilar opinions on the same person, which makes The Unsafe Case of Donald Trump a fantastic resource to larn more than about psychology, psychiatry and mental disorders.
Loved it!

Great to Understand Narcissism
Since so many authors suggested Trump might be affected by NPD, yous get a lot of comments on narcissism from high skillful in the field.
Also great for sociopathy.

Trump's aim is not accuracy, it'south domination

Review

I listed a lot of cons, but I enjoyed The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.

Both as a warning confronting the dangers of an unfit president and to learn more near psychology and psychiatry.

I'd like to use the last sentence of this commodity to audio a alert to u.s.a. all.
Because I tin can see it in myself and in many others effectually me, the dangers of complacency. It's not written anywhere that a autonomous leader cannot cause a disaster.
And it's not written anywhere that our the West will go along staying peaceful and prosperous.

But it'southward upwardly to each i of us to make information technology possible that we avoid worldwide disasters and we all move forrard together.

Let's all remind ourselves that it's our duty to contribute to a prosperous and peaceful world.

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Source: https://thepowermoves.com/the-dangerous-case-of-donald-trump/