Trump’s narcissistic tendencies raise alarm about the war in Iran

Narcissism theory is an interdisciplinary field that combines psychology, political science and international relations to anticipate how leaders with certain personality traits will behave on the world stage.

Research in this field provides a compelling explanation of current world events as well as a chilling forecast for the future.

Narcissists behave aggressively even in times of calm

Credit: Bill Green

Credit: Bill Green

Popular culture often characterizes narcissism as little more than a childish “look at me” mindset, but the truth is much darker.

According to a 2021 meta-analysis published by the American Psychological Association of 437 different empirical studies, narcissism — including both pathological and nonpathological narcissism — is clearly and consistently linked to both aggression and violence.

The aggression can take a variety of forms — direct, indirect, physical, verbal, bullying and trolling — but all of it involves a deep-seated desire to dominate and control. In the words of study authors Sophie Kjærvik and Brad Bushman, “individuals high in narcissism are not particularly picky when it comes to how they aggress against others.”

Kjærvik and Bushman’s meta-analysis generated other disturbing data. For example, they found narcissists don’t need a reason to engage in aggression, nor do they act aggressively only in the heat of the moment.

Instead, those suffering from narcissism are likely to engage in aggression even when unprovoked and even during moments of relative calm. Another study published in Aggressive Behavior, conducted by Dennis Reidy, Joshua Foster and Amos Zeichner, found that “the odds of being an unprovoked aggressor are nearly 100% greater for high narcissism men … compared with low narcissism men.”

These findings are borne out by a recent study of U.S. presidents who held office between 1897 and 2009. That research, conducted by John Harden, found that presidents who ranked highly on the narcissism scale were six times more likely to initiate conflict with another great power each year they were in office, as compared with presidents with average levels of narcissism.

Highly narcissistic presidents were also more likely to “go it alone” in international conflicts, something that looks eerily reminiscent of recent U.S. actions around the globe.

There’s a link between Iran war and Trump’s psyche

Even more concerning is data showing that wars involving the United States last longer when a highly narcissistic president is in power (613 days) as opposed to when a non-narcissistic president is in power (136 days). These results are entirely consistent with recent reports that Trump is considering putting U.S. boots on the ground and demanding a role in deciding the new leader of Iran.

Ever since Trump descended a golden escalator to declare his candidacy for the presidency in June 2015, scores of mental health professionals have issued clear and explicit warnings about his narcissistic tendencies.

Although the so-called Goldwater Rule usually precludes psychiatrists from diagnosing public figures from afar, these experts — including Trump’s own niece, psychologist Mary Trump — have argued that concerns about national security require them to step forward. In retrospect, those warnings appear ominously prescient.

Narcissism theory suggests that what is happening in Iran may be linked to what is happening in Donald Trump’s damaged psyche. Research also indicates that the situation will not improve over time, since narcissist politicians do not change once they are in office.

Instead, the best if not only way to beat a narcissist is to avoid putting yourself or your country at their mercy in the first place — something to be considered the next time we are all at the election box.

S.I. Strong is the K.H. Gyr professor of private international law at Emory University.