Shannon L. Alder, an inspirational author and therapist defines the reality of Narcissists as:
“Narcissists are consumed with maintaining a shallow false self to others. They’re emotionally crippled souls that are addicted to attention. Because of this, they use a multitude of games, to receive adoration. Sadly, they are the most ungodly of God’s creations because they don’t show remorse for their actions, take steps to make amends, or have empathy for others. They are morally bankrupt.”
Now, most readers will be thinking about what therapists or psychologists have to do with contemporary political leaders and their perceptions. The answer lies in the keen observation of the behavior and oratory patterns of the so-called political leaders among us, be it the leaders from the developed world such as Donald J. Trump or our very own ‘charismatic, charming, and handsome’ ex-prime minister of Pakistan, Mr. Imran N. (Narcissist) Khan. He has been very much consistent. Consistent not in keeping his words, his promises, and in fulfilling the fantasy-based dreams but consistent in pulling back from his statements and words. He only knows and sees what’s acceptable to his restricted and ambiguous reality.
Let’s talk about the populist approaches, in which post-truth politics tops every other strategy that has ever been applied in contemporary politics. We can observe quite clearly how the Narcissist Khan and Co. have been abusing the public perception, sentiments, and hopes to win the party’s popularity and secure their dark, flawed, and hollow aims. The narcissists lack any realistic strategy; the essential emotional acumen and complete rationality are nearly non-existent among the league of narcissists. It is not just a mere hypothesis but can be backed and validated via famous psychological theories, studies and research.
Elinor Greenberg, Ph.D., CGP, is a globally celebrated Gestalt therapy trainer who teaches pragmatically the diagnosis and treatment of Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid adaptations. She has trained psychotherapists in her approach in the US, Norway, Sweden, Wales, England, Russia, and Mexico. According to her analysis, Narcissists lack emotional empathy because they prioritize memories according to their set parameters; they act as if they are unaware while constantly ignoring the loud and clear facts, reality, and circumstances. Some people would perceive narcissists to have another cognitive inability, “dementia,” because they keep denying and stepping back from their own set and approved commitments and promises. Still, the truth is that there is no such memory problem associated with narcissism. The dilemma is that of self-centeredness and self-approval only, which a narcissist wants to earn by hook or crook.
Another associated strategy in addition to narcissism is the aggressive and hostile use of Post-Truth Politics- a strategy many leaders have used even in the pre-21st century context. Still, it received hype and gained maximum attention in the 21st century due to technological advancement and the rise in countless social media platforms and outlets. This technological boom came with a price, the price which we all have paid and are repeatedly paying by buying unasked-for, unwelcomed false, distorted, one-sided, aggressively negative, and unverified news and headlines. Here, who tops the league? The one and only N. Khan and Co. and others who have full access and control over such mighty and nefariously biased media outlets. They did not stop here, but the chaos aggravated further with constant character assassination of party leaders and their families to exert indirect pressure to attain their selfish gains. Post-truth politics is a strategy in which reality, facts, and statistics are wrapped with sheets of false, dubious, and fantasy-full patterns to give a completely opposite and unrealistic image to the masses.
Moreover, adding insult to the injury happens when the narcissists would not stop here at this stage. Still, they will start to impose their ultra-selective and dual-faced rationality over the common public as the fancy package is more in demand. The narcissist will tactfully design it and will throw the complete rationality out of their windows in their darker backyards. So much so, they will only entertain the questions which match their likeliness and taste; otherwise, be it their friends or foe, be ready for their narcissistic wrath, which will not only devour you but will devastate the complete state machinery and will turn it into ashes, calling it the ultimate game and plan of the third umpire. As that’s the only thing narcissists are great at “Putting blames on others.”
The treatment lies in facing the truth, no matter how painful it is. As the malady is severe, the treatment will also be unpleasant for the patient and his company who wanted to rise on shoulder of the narcist and pick low hanging fruit for themselves. It is time that support systems of these narcist and Co. start sharing the burden to unburden the society at large and bring in some kind of sense and stability in an already volatile and unpleasant environment. In a real world, we need to follow doable examples of other countries who came out of financial turmoil by facing the social, economic and political problems and rolling their sleeves up for getting on to the hard work of earning for oneself and for the country.
–The writer is a social scientist and contributes in newspapers on social and political issues.