In golf, there is a concept called “going to school” on an opponent’s putt. Now, I am having a feeling of déjà vu. As I concern myself with what will happen if the Republicans retake the House and/or the Senate in 2022 and, God forbid, retake the White House in 2024, I am drawn ineluctably to what is happening in Russia and Ukraine right now. I have the horrible feeling that watching Vladimir Putin now is like watching my opponent putt. The future of Russia, Ukraine and the world is playing out before our eyes. Hopefully, we will not make the same mistakes here.
The reason it makes sense to think this way is that both Putin and Donald Trump share a personality type: an extreme form of narcissism. This comes from readings in “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President,” one by Dr. Philip Zimbardo and Rosemary Sword and the other Dr. Craig Malkin.
People with extreme narcissism have the following characteristics, among others: They feel entitled, are very insecure, exploit others, lack empathy and have an addiction to feeling special. They become especially dangerous when their special status appears threatened, as Putin’s does now. At this point, they tend to project their feeling of danger to something or someone outside themselves, so it or they can be destroyed.
Put enough power behind this paranoia and you have a heap of scary possibilities. We need to pay attention. Putin’s and Russia’s (and Ukraine’s) future could be Trump’s and ours. It will soon be our turn to putt.
Fred Longacre
Hockessin
