Results: A Legend in His Own Mind

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scouthoward

07/24/2026

215

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Politics
What does “malignant narcissist” mean? And can such a label that has been used to describe figures such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin be appropriately applied to Trump or anyone short of a murderous tyrant? Psychology Today is the source for this survey.
1.
1.
The term "malignant narcissism" was coined by psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in 1964. Fromm, a Holocaust survivor, suggested that malignant narcissism is a severe and destructive pathology that can lie at the heart of the inhumane acts exhibited by dictatorial tyrants such as Hitler and Stalin. Do you agree with Erich Fromm?
Yes
53%
•
841 votes
No
7%
•
104 votes
Undecided
18%
•
290 votes
Not Applicable
23%
•
365 votes
2.
2.
The concept of malignant narcissism was expanded by psychiatrist Otto Kernberg, who termed it a toxic combination of four highly dysfunctional traits and behaviors: Narcissism, with its grandiosity, lack of empathy, need for attention, and sense of entitlement. Antisocial behavior, with its lack of remorse, destructive and impulsive behavior, deceitfulness, and disregard for and violation of the rights of others. Paranoid thinking, with its sense of persecution, difficulty trusting others, preoccupation with others' loyalty, tendency to bear grudges, and tendency to view benign actions of others as attempts at deception or exploitation. Sadism, with its cruelty, efforts to humiliate or manipulate others, and deriving enjoyment from others' pain and suffering. Do you know anyone with these malignant narcissism traits as described by Dr. Kernberg?
Yes
33%
•
527 votes
No
30%
•
472 votes
Undecided
16%
•
263 votes
Not Applicable
21%
•
338 votes
3.
3.
Since President Trump's entry into American politics, several psychiatrists and psychologists have spoken out about what they see as Trump's lack of psychological fitness to hold office, and some have used the term malignant narcissism to describe him. Do you think that President Trump is a malignant narcissist?
Yes
52%
•
826 votes
No
18%
•
293 votes
Undecided
11%
•
178 votes
Not Applicable
19%
•
303 votes

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