“Has a grandiose sense of self-importance, exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior …
“Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance …
“Believes that he or she is ‘special’ and unique … Requires excessive admiration … Has a sense of entitlement … takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends … is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others … Shows arrogant, haughty behaviours or attitudes.”
If it is a mental disorder, why is there no law preventing a narcissist from achieving political office? If it takes a psychiatrist to diagnose a narcissist, how is the average voter to know? In casting a ballot, does he or she not feel they are buying a pig in a poke? A voter in any democracy has an onerous task of sifting through the puffery and braggadocio of candidates to decide who earns his or her vote.
I am now a pessimist … that’s an optimist with experience. The experience of my generation has been to witness wars and genocides by multiple, pathological narcissists: Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and others. An examination of their lives by historians has proven they were pathological narcissists. Their calamitous regimes ended in untold millions of murders.
What is more worrying is that they were surrounded by enablers and sycophants who made them feel they were invincible. Human herd behaviour did the rest.
Has democracy now reached that stage where we should ask candidates to submit a medical certificate of mental fitness for public office? Even if a candidate is verified unstable, should that prevent him or her from seeking office? Has the time arrived when democracies must legislate such powers? What are the risks?
Yes, of course I am speaking of the upcoming American election. History might view it as a laboratory of sorts; how people take back their moral authority or willingly hand it over to a narcissist. History is waiting.
Sherv Shragge is a longtime radio personality and columnist. He writes about seniors issues monthly for the Postmedia.
Source: – Regina Leader-Post
