Trump’s Incurable Mental
State: A Danger to Our Country
(From
Raw Story Investigates, By Sarah K. Burris)
Last year, more than 350 psychologists and mental health experts sounded the alarm
that the president’s mental state was “deteriorating” and it was time to begin
hearings to study if he was emotionally and mentally capable of serving in
office.
Here are the 9 most damning statements saying the president’s
mental stability is dangerous for the country.
1. Dr. John Gartner, co-founder of the Duty to Warn PAC
“He has no empathy or concern for anybody but himself and so he will
not care about the destruction that it will cause other people. In fact,
because of his sadism, there’s a part of him that perversely seems to revel in
causing chaos and destruction and making us all frightened all the time, but
even more importantly, it will be irresistible for him because it will
transform him from feeling like a hunted victim of this witch hunt to feeling
like an omnipotently destructive victor,” said Dr. Gartner.
2. Dr. Bandy X. Lee, Yale University psychiatry professor.
“As a co-worker, [House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] has the right to have him submit to an involuntary evaluation, but she has
not,” Dr. Lee said. “I am beginning to believe that a mental health hold, which
we have tried to avoid, will become inevitable.”
“This is exactly the kind of dangerous event we foresaw as Donald
Trump’s response to the impeachment proceedings, just as his pulling troops
from northern Syria was a direct response to the announcement of an impeachment
inquiry,” Lee said. “This was why more than 800 mental health professionals
petitioned Congress to consult with us, since, without intervention, this kind
of crisis was a matter of time, not just a possibility.”
3. `Dr. Howard Gardner, Harvard University professor
“If you are going to make statements about what it means to be
intelligent, you need either to define intellect clearly, give the results of
formal testing, or both. To my knowledge, Trump has done neither,” he told the Washington Post.
“Second, however you define intellect, you need to distinguish
between that cognitive capacity, and others arguably of equal or greater
importance — for example, relevant knowledge, judgment, wisdom. And if you are
addressing an individual’s potential to lead and to inspire, you need to take
into account personal and temperamental capacities that are not, strictly
speaking, cognitive or intellectual: for instance, patience, perseverance,
empathy, forgiveness,” he continued.
4. Psychiatrist Steve Wruble
“Donald Trump’s early development,” he writes, “created who we are
witnessing. … [H]is father’s intensity left its mark on the entire family.
Donald’s oldest brother essentially killed himself under his father’s rule.
This tragedy must have played a prominent role in the formation of Donald’s
identity and left minimal room to rebel against his father’s authority, except
through competition in the realm of business success. Despite their appreciation
for each other, the tension between father and son caused Donald psychological wounds that still fester.”
5. Therapist Diane Jhueck
Jheck asked, rhetorically, Why Donald Trump’s “dangerousness”
wasn’t identified and dealt with early on in his life?
It was likely that the wealth and power of his family insulated
him.
“His father had similar mental health disturbances,” lessening the
possibility that the younger Trump’s behavioral problems would be addressed.
She writes that Trump “exhibits extreme denial of any feedback that does not
affirm his self-image and psychopathic tendencies, which affords him very
limited ability to learn and effectively adjust to the requirements of the
office of president. Rather, he consistently displays a revenge-oriented
response to any such feedback.”
6. Lance Dodes, a retired psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical
School
“The failure of normal empathy, is central to sociopathy, which is
marked by an absence of guilt, intentional manipulation and controlling or even
sadistically harming others for personal power or gratification.” In the book,
he lists examples of Trump’s lack of empathy, “loss of reality” and “rage
reactions and impulsivity,” he wrote in The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.
7. Stanford University professor emeritus Philip Zimbardo and
Rosemary Sword,
The two wrote in a column for Psychology Today, that the
president’s tweets where he brags about his intelligence are only part of his arrogance that point to reckless behavior that could put the
country in greater danger.
“We were
concerned that, given his ‘straightforward’ or ‘outsider’ presentation and
charisma, he would appeal to people who were unaware of the dangers of his
obvious narcissistic personality type, and the offensive behaviors that can
accompany it. These behaviors include but are not limited to condescension,
gross exaggeration (lying), bullying, jealousy, fragile self-esteem, lack of
compassion, and viewing the world as Us-vs.-Them. Having observed the
schoolyard-bully tactics Trump employed during public debates, as well as his
boasting presentation during interviews, we felt it was important to raise
awareness about his behaviors,” they wrote.