The standard practice for mental health or personality evaluations is a professional will conduct an interview with the patient and source additional information from other sources, such as family members, partners, or long-time friends. In this instance, we don’t have a diagnostic interview, but we do possess decades of information and footage illustrating Trump and Musk’s respective behaviours, which offers us some understanding.
Loading
Behaviour is usually one of the best markers of personality pathology, and we can surmise attitudes, beliefs, and emotions from what someone does. Actions tend to be better markers than verbal statements because all but the most brazen psychopath will make some attempt to say the right thing and imply some consideration, care and attention to good behaviour, while behavioural reports may indicate the opposite.
If I were assessing key members of the administration based on the history of behaviour before me, I would be assessing for psychopathy due to the presence of behavioural markers including a lack of accountability, self-interest, deceitfulness, manipulativeness, grandiosity, entitlement, superficial charm, predatory behaviour, conning, diverse offences, and poor emotional control.
People with narcissistic personalities often clash because in holding grandiose views about themselves, they can’t reconcile their own needs and views with those of others, or tolerate disagreement. When they perceive humiliation, narcissistic rage can sometimes occur – this is an intense and emotionally explosive reaction designed to equalise power and denigrate those who have inflicted the perceived humiliation. In my forensic work, I’ve worked with clients who have murdered others in a fit of narcissistic rage. Doubling down on a stance, regardless of common sense, is also typical. As are verbal abuse, blame, projection, and infliction of harm and punishment to those who have disagreed.
A situation like this, where multiple people who may possess these traits hold this much power and work closely together, is unprecedented. The fallouts from disagreements have the potential to be nuclear and result in geopolitical and economic chaos; exactly what we’ve been seeing since January, and saw last time around.
Though there is no way of determining whether psychopathy or even narcissism exists within these individuals without a formal evaluation, asking the question is important. Because regardless of the genesis of these difficulties and specific labels, we are in hot water globally. When people in positions of power behave this way, we are all vulnerable, and will see bad behaviour crystallise and spread, as bullies feel emboldened to be “boys being boys”, and dissenting voices fall silent from fear.
Dr Ahona Guha is a clinical and forensic psychologist, trauma expert and author based in Melbourne.
- For more: Elrisala website and for social networking, you can follow us on Facebook
- Source of information and images “brisbanetimes”“
