Donald Trump does not have narcissistic personality disorder—he has real accomplishments—and it would not explain his alleged alter egos with pseudonyms.

Since Trump’s alleged use of pseudonyms has brought him to the attention of this blog (see prior posts), I might as well point out that one common psychological opinion, narcissistic personality disorder, is incorrect.

The psychiatric diagnostic manual, DSM-5, clearly states:

“Many highly successful individuals display personality traits that might be considered narcissistic. Only when these traits…cause significant functional impairment or subjective distress do they constitute narcissistic personality disorder” (DSM-5, p. 672). Persons with this disorder have “inflated judgments of their own accomplishments” and are “preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success” (DSM-5, p. 670).

The fact is, Donald Trump is a billionaire who has almost clinched the Republican nomination for president of the United States of America. He does not have “inflated judgements” of accomplishment or “fantasies” of success. And he is neither dysfunctional nor in distress. So I think that anyone who says Trump is a “textbook case” of narcissistic personality disorder has not read the textbook.

Moreover, if it were true that he had alter egos with their own names who were not just fantasy but actually made telephone calls or were responsible for other behavior, it would not necessarily mean he was mentally ill—he probably isn’t—but it would certainly point in a different direction, as previously mentioned.