Narcissism

 

Of  Sigmund Freud’s many contributions , narcissism was considered ,by him, to be one of his most important findings.  His concept,for example, pertains to love,hate, fear, jealousy, sadism, as well as the understanding of the willingness of the suppressed to show their willingness to their rulers.  Another significant concept  of Freud relates to the trauma of birth and the terror surrounding it. Freud called this event the prototype for all anxiety.  In other words, individuals are subjected and experience anxiety,sometimes of their own making ,throughout their lives based on being born helpless .This disquisition,utilizes these concepts  pertaining to  Trump.

 Freud postulated a primary state of narcissism in which psychic energy was directed inward. With development, that primary state of narcissism became secondary narcissism. In this secondary state became the  capacity for objective reasoning and object love . Psychic energy was now primarily directed  inward  For some,  narcissism becomes pathological and malignant in that it affects the individual's ability to relate to others appropriately.

One of Freud’s primary drives was  the death instinct and sadomasochistic behaviors. Jung added and described man's evil side and believed that it was man’s attempt to compensate for feelings of inferiority, self-hate, guilt and  that  hostility was projected onto others . In other words ,war is called on to  destroy evil . However, war  becomes paradoxical because this actually brings more evil into the world.. And,with war, a scapegoat is needed to blame for starting the war..

With the above,are a few titles of  articles found  in the March 1, 2026 edition of The New York Times pertaining to evil.  U.  S.  Strikes Iran;  Trump Calls for the Overthrow of the Government.; Attack with Aid from Israel, Risks a Broader Conflict.and   Trump's War of Choice, With a Key Question: Why Now ?

The above articles are associated with Trump's narcissism.  He has to constantly  matter  and be the omnipotent hero.. This  “matter” ,on display, absorbs his being and his assertiveness.  His narcissism keeps him in the forefront as being a central  major  figure. It's about him and he's unable to put any reins on his selfish impulses which unconditionally feeds his fragile self-worth.

Trump was a spoiled child.  He was unconditionally  pampered . His wishes ,wants, demands and obnoxious behavior were reinforced when he cried, complained,threatened,  employed guilt , temper tantrums.with poor control of his impulses. He learned to be offensive when anxious and frustrated .And this facilitated magical thinking . He believed his thoughts resulted in that event or situation to turn out because of him being  powerful and omnipotent  Magical thinking also occurs in  dreams ,phantasies and wishing .With the occurrence of magical thinking also follows the expectation that one is to be taken care of and his word becomes the law 

With magical thinking one can view himself in grandiose ways .One can be a fantastic football hero, an emperor, king, and even a  god like president with  fame, fortune and status. Trump’s magical thinking has led  him  to a grossly  inflated sense of self. At times when anxious,,Trump regresses and  becomes that emotionally spoiled child with too much immense power..

Donald was easily able to march into war because neither he nor any family member were not in any way going to be injured or negatively affected. As a young adult, he had 5 deferments. He also called John McCain a coward..Furthermore,  he is incapable of  feeling empathy for our military soldiers injured or dead.. In fact, he recently said regarding the death of a US military man  "It's a very small price to pay." He also projected his cowardice when he said "Show Some Guts” while referring to those oil tanker captains not going through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump acts like a spoiled child in that he's not ashamed at all about what he needs ,wants, even though it brings pain to others .His childlike behavior is also expressed in sibling rivalry  competition with others. Spoiled  children do not become generous socially mature adults .Competitively, he has to be first, to have more and to stand out.  He has to be the one and the  only one . He has to be the favorite one.  He has to be first, and never second, which pertains to his cheating while playing golf , his obsession over Obama’s crowd size and  with the 2020 election results.  He's just unable to allow himself to be second best.  He's the first president to blatantly ignore the Constitution , rule of law, free and fair elections ,discriminate against the free press and  the first to acquire  capital through fraudulent means while in the White House. Also, he considers himself to be the best and greatest president ever and can destroy any opposition.

In his first term as president ,not all of his Cabinet selections were totally submissive as his frequent firings indicated. This time around ,his cabinet members are loyal because they are there to  boost his feelings of worth with their unconditional support and remove the cognitive dissonance regarding his thinking..

Further, he must desperately justify himself.  He must stand out.  He must be the hero, he must be the one that counts. It’s his desire for status. This is evidenced by his renaming the Kennedy Center ,building the biggest ballroom in the White House ,winning the Nobel Peace Prize and having his name placed everywhere. His narcissism is a threat to decency, morality, rule of law and  Democracy.

In conclusion, this anxious and evil narcissist is driven based on insecurity and related to feelings of inferiority and inadequacy   As a result, his hostility to the  pursuit for power, prestige, and possession expresses itself. with tendencies to dominate, humiliate, and to deprive others.  And, his use of  repression as a defense,  interferes with the knowledge that he despises himself, feels weak,  inferior, worthless, evil and shameful.

Reference

Becker,Ernest. The Denial of Death.