On a daily basis the news media describe certain politicians as narcissists and/or arrogant. In quite a few cases there is a consensus of agreement by the media, the public, and sometimes psychiatrists. I don’t doubt that they are often right.

What detracts from their analysis is how frequently they equate these descriptions with being synonymous with extremely high self-confidence. How can our journalists be that ignorant of a fairly obvious human fault?

Also, there are significant dangers in having politicians making major decisions for the nation when they have a serious personality disorder. Does it really take a psychiatrist to point out the obvious dangers?When the condition is quite advanced (which is usually the case when the media notice) an average person can easily identify the pathology and see the dangers. Is the press pretending they don’t see it or are they actually that ignorant?

Counselor Sandy Hotchkiss, LCSW, is a teacher in a Master’s Program at the University of Southern California and she has a private practice for individual, couples, and family therapy. Hotchkiss wrote a book, Why is it Always About You? In her book, she identified what she called the seven deadly sins of narcissism, seven of which is shared below.

Brief Information on Narcissism:

1. Shamelessness – Shame is the feeling that lurks beneath all unhealthy narcissism and the inability to process shame in healthy ways.

2. Magical Thinking – Narcissists see themselves as perfect using distortion and illusion known as magical thinking. They also use projection to dump shame onto others.

3. Arrogance – A narcissist who is feeling deflated may re-inflate by diminishing, debasing, or degrading somebody else.

4. Envy – A narcissist may secure a sense of superiority in the face of another person’s ability by using contempt to minimize the other person.

5. Entitlement – Narcissists hold unreasonable expectations of particularly favorable treatment and automatic compliance because they consider themselves uniquely special. Any failure to comply will be considered an attack on their superiority and the perpetrator is considered to be an “awkward” or “difficult” person. Defiance of their will is a narcissistic injury that can trigger narcissistic rage.

6. Exploitation – can take many forms but always involves the using of others without regards for their feelings or interests. Often the other is in a subservient position where resistance would be difficult or even impossible. Sometimes the subservience is not so much real as assumed.

7. Bad Boundaries – narcissists do not recognize that they have boundaries and that others are separate and are not extensions of themselves. Others either exist to meet their needs or may as well not exist at all. Those who provide narcissistic supply to the narcissist will be treated as if they are part of the narcissist and be expected to live up to those expectations. In the mind of a narcissist, there is no boundary between self and other.