Jean Shinoda Bolen - A Clear and Present Danger: Narcissism in the Era of Donald Trump

Let us be clear: The contributors, editors, and publisher have not engaged in diagnosis of any public figures mentioned in the pages that follow. Specifically, we are not claiming that any public figures or leaders mentioned have been diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). To establish a diagnosis of any psychological disorder requires individual assessment by a qualified mental health professional. Proper diagnosis is reached only after thorough, individual diagnostic evaluation. The results of such an assessment are strictly confidential and would only be released with the examinees consent. This book examines narcissism and its impact on others, on communities, and on society-at-large.

Many people can be seen to occasionally display characteristic traits of NPD. Qualities like arrogance, a sense of entitlement, a tendency to exploit others, an inflated sense of oneself, and other defining features of NPD sometimes arise in every one of us. NPD is a condition in which these and other defining traits remain persistent over time. That is what is meant by character or personality.

The 2016 United States presidential election process was without precedent. To many people this was a season where arrogance, entitlement, and narcissism were on full display. Thomas Jefferson said, The government you elect is the government you deserve. Time will tell what the American electorate deserved. In the meantime, the events of the 2016 election cycle inspired the contributors to answer an invitation to write on narcissism. The timing of this book was inspired by the 2016 presidential election; however, it reaches beyond and beneath the surface of a particular moment in history to explore narcissism in a broader context. We hope it will also catalyze a confrontation of the narcissism we each carry within.