America's Leading Disorder

It's called Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).  The symptoms of this disorder have been defined by the Mayo Clinic as follows.

Narcissistic personality disorder symptoms may include:

• Believing that you're better than others
• Fantasizing about power, success and attractiveness
• Exaggerating your achievements or talents
• Expecting constant praise and admiration
• Believing that you're special and acting accordingly
• Failing to recognize other people's emotions and feelings
• Expecting others to go along with your ideas and plans
• Taking advantage of others
• Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior
• Being jealous of others
• Believing that others are jealous of you
• Trouble keeping healthy relationships
• Setting unrealistic goals
• Being easily hurt and rejected
• Having a fragile self-esteem
• Appearing as tough-minded or unemotional

One man in particular comes to mind, exhibiting every one of these traits. He's unfortunately the current President of the United States.  If you haven't noticed how closely he tracks to these traits, you're either in denial or not paying attention.

Another recent example I've noticed is in the racing world.  Danica Patrick just divorced her husband to give herself permission to practice adultery with a young Nascar driver.  It's very true that I know almost nothing about Danica, but I have seen her on television.  Her persona oozes NPD.

Other famous folks I suspect of NPD:
Alec Baldwin
Donald Trump
Soledad O'Brien
Paris Hilton
Lindsay Lohan
Hillary Clinton
Madonna
Bill Clinton
Charlie Crist
John Edwards

Given a bit more time to think about it, I could probably expand the list to a pretty long one.  But if you're not sure I'm on the right track with those on my list, just look at the list of symptoms and ask yourself if these folks seem to fit most of them?  Certainly they do, the current President as much or more than most of the others.

I know some people who have the disorder.  What they have in common is denial.  Some brave soul at some point has accused them of NPD, and they have lashed out at them and branded them stupid or ignorant for daring to think so.  The NPD may know the definition of the disorder, but refuse to consider that any part of that definition applies to themself.  Their explanation for narcissistic attitudes and behavior is that it's not narcissism, but self-confidence, intelligence, or reason.  The narcissist not only refuses to recognize it in themselves, but don't seem to recognize it in others either.

The narcissist has a self-image they don't believe is delusions of granduer, but that they really are superior to most everyone else.  The narcissist doesn't just think she's better, she knows she's better than everybody else.  She's the most intelligent, beautiful, and interesting person in any room in which she finds herself. She believes that her unique ideas are superior to anything anyone else is capable of creating, and therefore deserves to be put in charge.

The narcissist never fails.  His failures are always caused by someone else who undermined his efforts with malicious intent to harm him personally.  He is incapable of empathy.  He loves the spotlight.  He craves attention and praise.  Perhaps that's why so many of our politicians and entertainers exhibit the disorder.