Does Obama Have a "Mental Disorder"?

By Selwyn Duke

Shortly before the presidential election, there was an interesting article written by Sam Vaknin, Ph.D.  Someone had sent it to me via email when it was first penned, but what brought it to mind again was that Michael Savage discussed it on his radio show last night.  Vaknin propounds the thesis that Barack Obama isn't just your typical liberal politician, but that he may actually suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  Just so you know, this would mean that he has the same spiritual defect as Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, Joseph Stalin and a whole host of other maniacal despots.

Now, I'm not enamored of psychological terminology, so I don't like the idea of calling sinful tendencies psychological disorders.  Nevertheless, I think Vaknin's assessment of Obama may be more correct than many would like to believe.  Here are a few segments from Vaknin's piece:

Narcissistic leaders are nefarious and their effects pernicious. They are subtle, refined, socially-adept, manipulative, possessed of thespian skills, and convincing. Both types equally lack empathy and are ruthless and relentless or driven.

. . . Obama displays the following behaviors, which are among the hallmarks of pathological narcissism:

* Subtly misrepresents facts and expediently and opportunistically shifts positions, views, opinions, and "ideals" (e.g., about campaign finance, re-districting). These flip-flops do not cause him overt distress and are ego-syntonic (he feels justified in acting this way). Alternatively, reuses [sic] to commit to a standpoint and, in the process, evidences a lack of empathy.

Ignores data that conflict with his fantasy world, or with his inflated and grandiose self-image. This has to do with magical thinking. Obama already sees himself as president because he is firmly convinced that his dreams, thoughts, and wishes affect reality. Additionally, he denies the gap between his fantasies and his modest or limited real-life achievements (for instance, in 12 years of academic career, he hasn't published a single scholarly paper or book).

Vaknin has written an interesting article.  No matter what you call the TOTUS (Teleprompter of the United States), however, he's a dangerous man.  America, you have visited a viper upon us.

Read the rest here.

                 © 2009 Selwyn Duke — All Rights Reserved