A Clear and Present Danger: Narcissism in the Era of Donald Trump

by Leonard Cruz (Editor), Steven Buser (Editor), Jean Shinoda Bolen (Contributor)

PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS A NEWER EDITION OF THIS BOOK RELEASED IN 2017 WITH A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TITLE: "A Clear and Present Danger: Narcissism in the Era of PRESIDENT Trump."

Narcissism is epidemic and there is scarcely a domain that is immune to its effects. A Clear and Present Danger: Narcissism in the Era of Donald Trump brings together bestselling authors, university professors, and practicing clinicians to explore this vital topic. "Every country has the government it deserves," said Alexis de Tocqueville, author of Democracy in America. Whatever history eventually records about the 2016 presidential election, this frank and thoughtful exploration of narcissism will prove to be a timely and timeless study.


Narcissism demands to be mirrored and refuses to be challenged. It demands acclaim, obedience, and accommodation, while disregarding others. Whether narcissism overtakes the home, the workplace, or the national stage, everyone who comes under Narcissus's spell, both the narcissist and their subjects, suffer.

Pundits insist that politics has seldom been as polarized as it became during the 2016 election in the United States. This was a coincidence of opposites, a coincidentia oppositorum. While Donald Trump galvanized vast numbers of angry, disaffected voters, Senator Bernie Sanders mobilized enormous crowds of young voters who seemed passionately committed to revolutionizing American politics. Regardless of the winner of the contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, it is vital to recognize what is happening on this global stage of politics. A Clear and Present Danger: Narcissism in the Era of Donald Trump explores the phenomenon of Trump as well as the vast landscape of narcissism in general.

The contributors share a hope that these essays will become a mirror for the reader and for a nation called to examine itself. Dr. EstEs reminds us in the closing pages, "We were made for times like these."

Contributing Authors:
Jean Shinoda Bolen, Steven Buser, Leonard Cruz, Clarissa Pinkola EstEs, Nancy Swift Furlotti, James Hollis, Alden Josey, Thomas Patrick Lavin, Kathryn Madden, Eve Maram, John McClain, Robert Moore, Laurence de Rosen, Susan Rowland, Nathan Schwartz Salant, Thomas Singer, Jacqueline West, James Wyly

(For more information: trumpnarcissism.com)

Genres: Politics, Psychology, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 2016

Reviews

[Owlseyes]

"Narcissism demands to be mirrored and refuses to be challenged. It demands acclaim, obedience, and accommodation, while disregarding others. Whether narcissism overtakes the home, the workplace, or the national stage, everyone who comes under Narcissus’s spell, both the narcissist and their subjects, suffer".


(Trump pathologized)

JUST NOTES

1-I was wondering about the title of the book, and the manifest connection [diagnosis?] the title implies, between Trump and Narcissism. How hypocritical it sounds, since Steve Buser has suggested that you cannot diagnose a "public figure" without "evaluating" him/her, first.

2-Well, Steve says there are 9 (diagnostic) criteria*; in the case of Trump, we must "look" as if inside his head, and "empathy and grandiosity" are "inside"...; alas, most of the criteria ARE INTERNAL. Again, if you don't "evaluate" him, you can't diagnose him; it's UNETHICAL. Yet, you're clearly suggesting something, mister Steven.

3-I know what some eminent (dissident?) psychiatrists say about diagnosis; but I would call the attention to doctor Thomas Szasz's view: "Diagnosis is a tool used by psychiatrists to control and stigmatize people".**



4-In my view, Trump clearly doesn't score in all the criteria; yet the book has made it; suggested it. How ethical that is?

5-The catchy, Jungian expression "coincidentia oppositorum" didn't apply; Bernie got out; so, Trump only had to face Hillary. And she lost.

6-I cannot avoid wondering whether the book had at its onset a clear (or unconscious??) political purpose: to divert voters from voting for a "pathological" person?
Dr. Estés words “We were made for times like these”, can be also read like this: "we've been there, so we know already the story [of other historical narcissistic personalities], we won't fall again in the same trap..., so we won't vote for Trump". Am I right?

7-And again the title:...."Clear and Present Danger" is a book by Tom Clancy, one that mixes Colombian drug lords with threats to national security; well, what a mix to involve Trump with; was it on purpose? One can always wonder.

8-But then, for those who followed the campaign from the very beginning, the list of "labels" IS LONG; I 've searched some: "sociopath","psychopath", "aggressiveness/anger", "crazy", egomaniac, etc, etc....*** ('muthaf****' says Samuel L. Jackson)

*FROM WIKI:
"According to the DSM-5, individuals with NPD have most or all of the following symptoms, typically without commensurate qualities or accomplishments:
1-Grandiosity with expectations of superior treatment from others
2-Fixated on fantasies of power, success, intelligence, attractiveness, etc.
3-Self-perception of being unique, superior and associated with high-status people and institutions
4-Needing constant admiration from others
5-Sense of entitlement to special treatment and to obedience from others
6-Exploitative of others to achieve personal gain
7-Unwilling to empathize with others' feelings, wishes, or needs
8-Intensely envious of others and the belief that others are equally envious of them
9-Pompous and arrogant demeanor"

**The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

***"Donald Trump: Profile Of A Sociopath"
in: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-...

‘Is Trump a psychopath? I’d call him a narcissist’
in: https://www.theguardian.com/science/s...

"THE MIND OF DONALD TRUMP"
in: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/a...

"The latest media obsession: ‘Could there be something … neurologically wrong’ with Donald Trump?"
in: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/t...

"Is Donald Trump a textbook narcissist?"
in: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/t...

"Paul Krugman: Comey, Putin 'installed' the 'crazy, vindictive' Trump"
In: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/pau...

"Donald Trump has 'dangerous mental illness', say psychiatry experts at Yale conference
Mental health experts say President is 'paranoid and delusional'"
in:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wor...
...
...

[Steve Ellerhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timely doesn't begin to describe this book at the beginning of 2020. Interestingly enough, the strongest essays here are not about you-know-who, but are rather about narcissism in American culture at present. The finest essay is "Narcissism in the Home" by Nancy Swift Furlotti; she shares her personal experience of being married to a narcissistic man for decades and the long shadow he casts after she divorced him. Her ability to articulate what was always wrong in that relationship and the incredulity of being trapped by another person really moves me with compassion for women like her in that terrible position. Another essay by her, "Narcissism in Our Collective Home, Our American Culture," paints the picture at the macro level.

A third standout essay here is Jean Shinoda Bolen's "The Wounded Healer: Transformation through Compassion" -- this one leaves the biggest impression on me. "When we have rigid theories about what makes people the way they are and we project our theories onto patients and clients, insisting that our reality is their reality, we do the same thing their parents did," Bolen writes. "This is the wounding shadow of authority that says, 'I know what your story is and I know its meaning,' and it robs the person of the opportunity to discover this. This is a risk for anyone in a leadership role" (204-5). The beauty here, which she gets at in so many different ways, is the need to check ourselves for our own narcissism before we go labeling it in others.

The final thought in the book is given to Clarissa Pinkola Estes (of Run With Wolves acclaim). Her brief essay, reprinted from 2001, is called "Do Not Lose Heart, We Were Made for These Times" and its an intimate, yet public, sermon of sorts: "Any small, calm thing that one could can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely" (277). It's a hopeful note to end upon, and also one that encourages responsible, thoughtful action.

Yes, there are also essays by men throughout the collection and it was edited by two men -- but these past many years I've found myself turning toward the women more often than not. Sexist as it is, I'm just plain tired of hearing from the guys. It's another thing that has drawn me further and further into analytical psychology -- brilliant women have always been crucial to its perspectives and they have provided so much wisdom and insight beyond their therapeutic practices in books, essays, and lectures.

[Eglizard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of commentaries on the current (2017) administration from Jungian clinical viewpoint, plus the context of world history, mythology, American history and social science. Compares Trump to Narcissus, Bluebeard, Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Kardashian, Beyoncé, Hamlet (how they are and are not alike). Make up your own mind. Prerequisite: some knowledge of basic Jungian concepts.

[George Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reflections on the problem of narcissism in our culture. This.problem will not go away and so even though we have turned a page with the inauguration of the new administration we need to continue to wrestle with this danger. May we be determined to stop mistaking bravado for leadership.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Narcissism seems to be the 2010+ magic word to mark to the congregation that somebody is coming from Satan. Back in the 1950s the keyword was fascist.

[Gabija Vei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Platus straipsnių rinkinys iš jungiškosios perspektyvos paaiškinantis išprotėjusius šiuos laikus.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so thoroughly sick of the subject, I can't make it to the end of this. It's informative but I haven't the stomach right now. I just need to get this out of the queue right now for my own mental health.

[Camille McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book might have been better titled simply "Narcissism in the Era of Donald Trump," as I feel that calling it "A Clear and Present Danger" implies that the essays included all have a clear point of view surrounding Trump. In actuality, some of the essays were ambivalent about whether he would be a danger, and many of the essays had little or nothing to do with Trump but were rather about looking within ourselves and acknowledging our own narcissistic tendencies to heal as a nation. Some of the essays are a bit difficult to understand and full of intellectual snobbery, such as one with quite a few quotes in German which were not even translated. In general, the further you get in the book, the better and more accessible the essays become, so if you feel like skipping the first few you probably won't miss anything. The book is important and it comes at a time when we must all look inward to see where our own narcissism might be contributing to the collective narcissism present in America which can be such a destructive force. It also defines narcissism well, from a number of perspectives, and when you have finished reading it you will be quite familiar with the myth of Narcissus. It is also important to note that this is a book of Jungian psychology, not a book about politics.

[Sherry T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of writings explaining, from a Jungian perspective, narcissism and its role in not only in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, but also its impact on past elections in other countries and, more generally, in our day to day functioning. I especially appreciated the chapters pertaining to the rise of figures such as Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin, as well as those that reflected on the relationship between media and narcissism. Finally, I walked away from this book with a better understanding of and compassion toward Trump supporters. A good read, indeed!

[David]

Just a great that continues to take a look at the mindset of #45.