The political mind?

Maybe those running for high government office should be tested for narcissism (and also testosterone levels). But would it do any good? Would it deter the average voters or would they still be swayed by false facades? After all, it seems the most narcissistic entertainers have the greatest number of devoted fans groveling at their feet. Seems the average American rarely looks deeper than the surface and often his or her frenzy to live vicariously overcomes common sense. Maybe we need someone who exposes these narcissistic politicians for what they really are before they assume positions of power?

It’s the epitome of chutzpah, to say the least, when a man believes that he is so superior and marvelous that he can get away with such a brazen plan as that of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. Absolutely no respect for anyone else; no concern as to how his actions might affect others — especially his family and the citizens of South Carolina. Was his marriage and the governing of his state so dull that he had to stir up some excitement? Isn’t this indicative of a mental aberration of some kind? Any guy who is so arrogant that he would ask his wife for permission to go visit his lover and goes anyway when she says “no” has to have a few screws loose.

Is it asking too much to expect people in such positions to maintain high personal standards and to refrain from hypocrisy? Has the popular entertainment culture numbed people to the importance of integrity, decency, honesty and responsibility? (After all, it seems that Michael Jackson’s demise got more press than that of the last pope.) How many people who read about and view television coverage of Sanford are wallowing in the sensationalism of it all rather than condemning this pathetic excuse of a man for his self-serving actions and egregious lack of respect for others?

Have such errant men in government positions (and there have been many) no moral standards? Or is morality an outdated concept? Seems they get some power and “success” and it goes to their heads (or somewhere else) big time. No shame or guilt (as much as they might profess it), rarely a sincere apology, and then only as it fits into their picture of their grandiose self image.

It would be interesting to read a report by mental health experts on the subject that would answer questions such as: What is behind such narcissism and the behavior that it produces? What kind of childhood did these guys experience? Were they made to believe that they were so bad and sinful that they succumbed to narcissism? Or were they extremely pampered and spoiled? Is there something in the brain that predisposes them to “sins of the flesh?” Does success and power taint the brain somehow or was the brain tainted already? Does the pressure of their job have something to do with it? How do any of those professed “men of faith” justify such behavior? How can we spot a rampant narcissist before he runs for office? 

I am an avid reader of psychological non-fiction and have yet to come across an analysis of such men in particular. The closest I’ve found is “The Narcissism Epidemic,” by Jean N. Twenge, Ph.D. and W. Keith Campbell, Ph.D. It’s a fascinating read, but the authors do not go into these issues much. But, they do present one problem with these narcissists in high government positions that is quite disturbing. “Due to global media coverage and the internet,” they say, “when the world’s citizens see America, they see narcissism. This clearly isn’t all there is to it, but how would the world know?”

Now, in 2018, how much lower can we go? Well, in 2016, we were presented with a severely narcissistic presidential candidate and now we are suffering. Many books have been published that describe his pathology, but they are, too often, after the fact. (And, besides, how many people read non-fiction any more.)

Another of Ashleigh Brilliant’s witticism’s is apropos: “How could there ever be any conflict between my private interests and the public good?”

Since 1984, Dorothy Dimitre has written more than 950 columns for various local newspapers. Her email address is gramsd@aceweb.com.