My maternal grandmother was one of the most loved of all my relatives. However, she could observe things in life and have a pithy comment regarding them. I spent some time googling this comment that I remember nearly seven decades ago. Alas, I couldn't find its derivation. "I love me. I think I'm grand. When I go to heaven, I'll hold my hand." After not finding that quote on the Internet, she apparently was very wise to be able to come up with her own pithy statements. If she were alive today, my grandmother would be telling the Donald that saying as a warning.

The Donald thinks that he is smart, wise, can fix all things, and doesn't need many intelligence briefings. Besides, he knows more than any of the intelligence agencies. Essentially, the Donald is a 21st century Narcissus. Therefore, this tutorial class is for Donald the Dumb. Either he never studies the Greek tragedies or wasn't paying any attention during the class.  

Narcissus

According to the Greek's, Narcissus (Νάρκισσος) was a good-looking hunter whose parents were the nymph, Liriope and the god of the river, Cephissus. By the time that Narcissus had grown up, he was absorbed in self-love. Nevertheless, Nemesis, the goddess of Rhamnous, was the Greek goddess, who punished those who were self-absorbed in hubris like Narcissus. Narcissus admired himself so much that he couldn't leave his reflection in the pool of water. As a result, he stayed admiring himself until his death.

Interestingly, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) categorizes narcissistic personality disorder (301.81) based upon over a dozen different behaviors:

• Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
• Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
• Exaggerating your achievements and talents
• Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
• Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people
• Requiring constant admiration
• Having a sense of entitlement
• Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations
• Taking advantage of others to get what you want
• Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
• Being envious of others and believing others envy you
• Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner

And which of these dozen criteria doesn't apply to the Donald? In my previous tutorial for Donald the Dumb, Trump and Icarus—Warning About Flying High, I mentioned my grandmother's saying, "I love me. I think I'm grand. When I go to heaven, I'll hold my hand." How is my grandmother's comment substantively different than narcissistic personality disorder (301.81) found in DSM-5?

Connecting the Dots

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Donald the Dumb

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Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does."

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02/10/17