Covidiot News - Why Trump's Narcissistic Personality Disorder Was So Dangerous

Why May Narcissism Be a Risk Factor for COVID? | Psychology Today

Writing in Psychology Today, Susan Heitler Ph.D explains why people with narcissistic personality disorder may be more prone to catch Covid-19.

This could explain why people such as Donald Trump and Boris Johnson were both early victims of the pandemic and why Dominic Cummings felt he was entitled to break the rules his government was telling everyone else they should comply with.

People with narcissistic personality disorder are basically too full of their own self-importance to pay any heed to what others are telling them and regard themselves as above the rules which are made for 'little people'. Other people should wear face-masks in public places; other people should maintain safe social distancing from others; other people should stay in their homes, only going outside for essential shopping, to do essential work that can't be done from home or for exercise. Those rules are for the little people who don't know any better or aren't so important.

When someone is locked in an all-about-me bubble, they become likely to regard what they want as holy, and what others say as essentially irrelevant. This habit can lead to taking less seriously the rules that others set or follow. "The rules don't apply to me" becomes a way of life.

Similarly, as my post on narcissism as Tall Man Syndrome explains, narcissism subconsciously promotes the belief that "I'm big and important. Rules are for the little people. I'm above the rules." Think about celebrities and political figures who routinely ignore the normal rules for extra-marital sex: "The rules don't apply to me."

Since narcissism invites an assumption that rules in general do not apply to them, rules for corona safety may seem irrelevant to someone whose stance in the world is narcissistic. "Others need to wear masks; not me. Others need to keep a distance of six feet or more between them and others; I do not need to concern myself about social distancing."

Susan Heitler; Why May Narcissism Be a Risk Factor for COVID? | Psychology Today

Daily New Cases USA (29 Jan, 2021)

Source: Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center

We have already seen how Trump's narcissism led him to declare early on that the pandemic was nothing to worry about, that it would soon be over and that the advice the experts were givign him must therefore be wrong. Basically, although he was warned about the potential seriousness of the growing emergency he was out of his depth and panicked. He didn't know what to do and knew he had allowed the contingencies Obama had put in place to be dismantled, so he decided not to do anything, and to dismiss and minimise the risks.

He then had to double down on that lie or face the humiliation of admitting he was wrong - something he is psychologically incapable of doing. So, he continued to play down the risks, bullied and threatened officials, suppressed contrary information and sacked and abused those who told him otherwise. And he continued to hold super-spreader rallies in which it became a political statement and expression of support to not wear a face-mask or maintain a safe distance from others. The adoration of his Trumpanzee dupes encouraged and emboldened him.

Consequently, of the 25 million Americans who have been infected, 433,000 have now died and America accounts for 25% of world-wide cases.

Unfortunately, SARS-C0V-2 viruses don't recognise the 'importance' of the narcissist and simply see their nasal mucosa and respiratory tract as a nice place to settle down and raise a family.

The lesson is simple: if you know anyone who displays the symptoms of a narcissistic personality disorder, keep them at a safe distance, wear a face-mask in their presence, and never, ever again allow them anywhere near the levers of political power.

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