I took my dad to his meeting of Yeller Dawg Democrats this morning.

[summer_in_TX]

They've been meeting every Saturday morning for well over 20 years. Dad is the moderator. Anyway today the group pressed one of the Yeller Dawg's who is a psychologist to talk about how she would diagnose Donald Trump. She named two categories (I think the first was narcissistic personality disorder, but I had a moment of distraction.) She focused on the next category: psychopath. She detailed the various traits seen in that diagnosis that Trump exhibits. I was struck by those and looked up more upon getting home.

He definitely exhibits almost every trait. There are some on the list that are about behaviors when young. I haven't read up on that but it certainly would not surprise me to learn that Trump showed traits of: delinquency when young; had revocation of conditional release; behavioral problems early in life; and maybe lack of realistic, long-term goals. Anybody know?

https://www.healthyplace.com/personality-disorders/psychopath/psychopathy-definition-symptoms-signs-and-causes/ had the intro and list below.
Signs and Symptoms of Psychopathy
The signs and symptoms of psychopathy are identified most commonly in scientific studies by Hare's 20-item Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. This checklist identifies the following as the symptoms and signs of psychopathy:

Superficial charm and glibness√
Inflated sense of self-worth√
Constant need for stimulation√
Lying pathologically√
Conning others; being manipulative√
Lack of remorse or guilt√
Shallow emotions√
Callousness; lack of empathy√
Using others (a parasitic lifestyle)√
Poor control over behavior√
Promiscuous sexual behavior√
Behavioral problems early in life?
Lack of realistic, long-term goals?
Being impulsive√
Being irresponsible√
Blaming others and refusing to accept responsibility√
Having several marital relationships√
Delinquency when young?
Revocation of conditional release?
Criminal acts in several realms (criminal versatility) - I think we will find this one is a definite √

Of course a bunch of traits are missing. Megalomania type symptoms, which I found is grouped as a narcissistic personality disorder. So here's what the Mayo Clinic has on that.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder and the severity of symptoms vary. People with the disorder can:

Have an exaggerated sense of self-importance√
Have a sense of entitlement and require constant, excessive admiration√
Expect to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it√
Exaggerate achievements and talents√
Be preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate√
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√
Expect special favors and unquestioning compliance with their expectations√
Take advantage of others to get what they want√
Have an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others√
Be envious of others and believe others envy them√
Behave in an arrogant or haughty manner, coming across as conceited, boastful and pretentious√
Insist on having the best of everything — for instance, the best car or office√
At the same time, people with 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√
Feel depressed and moody because they fall short of perfection?
Have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, vulnerability and humiliation√



I do think those who've pointed to dementia (or even Alzheimer's) setting in are likely correct. My dad, who's 91, has a fair amount of it. But he's still intelligent and knowledgeable in many ways and his personality and interests haven't changed, basic traits which the dementia hasn't erased. At least yet. He doesn't retain new or complicated information at all well though. And it's progressive. Same with DT, I strongly suspect. And with his mental illness and his position…

[hedda_foil]

1. Thank you, Summer, for your fascinating story and the excellent checklists.

Looks like the a$$hole is a narcissistic psychopath. BTW, he did have major behavioral issues as a child. That's why his daddy sent him to military school at 13. So you can check that one off too.

[MontanaMama]

2. Malignant Narcissist

according to my psychologist. However, I'm not splitting hairs...Dotard is seriously messed up.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. A psychiatrist I know told me he thinks Trump is a narcissist, a sociopath,

and possibly has Alzheimers as well. He said, the question is often whether somebody is mad or bad, and Trump is probably both.

[Cha]

4. Excellent OP, Summer..

Mahalo!

[Sophia4]

5. Thanks for posting this. It's very helpful and important to keep it in mind.

[Laffy Kat]

6. What a great group to belong.

That is so cool that he still attends.

[rusty quoin]

7. Trump would have been rooted out long ago if he wasnt born so rich.

We all know what he is. The problem is that he made it to president. And the Republicans will protect him rather than the whole of humanity. These are the worst of times.

[world wide wally]

8. All of the above apply to him, plus...

He is loud, obnoxious, manipulative and ugly

[barbtries]

9. The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump

is what i'm reading at the moment. It's a compilation of discussions by mental health professionals. I recommend it. Haven't seen psychopath yet though I've certainly thought it. The media needs to start reporting on the mental health issue with the president.

[thbobby]

10. I go with sociopath, not psychopath

I am not a psychologist. Read this from WebMD article about the differences between psychopath and sociopath.


It’s not easy to spot a psychopath. They can be intelligent, charming, and good at mimicking emotions. They may pretend to be interested in you, but in reality, they probably don’t care.

“They’re skilled actors whose sole mission is to manipulate people for personal gain,” Tompkins says.

Sociopaths are less able to play along. They make it plain that they’re not interested in anyone but themselves. They often blame others and have excuses for their behavior.

Subtle differences, but when trump was calling widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson, he was unable to mimic human compassion. He blatantly shows he is only interested in himself. If he was a psychopath, he would be more skilled at pretending to have human feeling.

As I said, I am not an expert. To me, trump is a greedy and dishonest old white man who cares only about trump. Not to mention, he is excessively stupid.

[2naSalit]

11. +1

[Kentonio]

12. I think that's probably true

Psychopaths gravitate towards CEO-like positions but I'd guess when it comes o politics they end up being much more the regular politicians we're used to seeing. The kind who charm the pants off the voters but still pass legislation that destroy poor people's lives. Trump can't even pretend that he cares.

[RandomAccess]

13. I go with both

In my observation, he absolutely has both.

[CK_John]

14. So what does it matter, we don't have 51% in the House to get an impeachment nor 2/3 of the Senate

remove him from office.