A Shrink Asks: What's Wrong with Obama?

American Thinker ^ | June 11, 2010 | Robin of Berkeley

[neverdem]

So what is the matter with Obama? Conservatives have been asking this question for some time. I've written a number of articles trying to solve the mystery.  

Even some liberals are starting to wonder. James Carville railed about Obama's blasé attitude after the catastrophic oil spill. The New York Times' Maureen Dowd revamped Obama's "Yes We Can" motto into "Will We Ever?"

The liberal women of the TV show "The View" have expressed sympathy for Michelle Obama's living with a man so out of touch. Peggy Noonan, hardly a vehement Obama foe,  recently pronounced him disconnected. 

Obama's odd mannerisms intrigue a psychotherapist like me. He also presents a serious diagnostic challenge.  

For one, Obama's teleprompter and the men behind the Blackberry keep him well-scripted. We know so little about the facts of his life.

But it's more than just a lack of information. Obama himself is a strange bird. He doesn't fit easily into any diagnostic category.

Many people attribute Obama's oddness to his narcissism. True, Obama has a gargantuan ego, and he is notoriously thin-skinned.

Yet a personality disorder like narcissism does not explain Obama's strangeness: his giggling while being asked about the economy; his continuing a shout-out rather than announcing the Ft. Hood shootings; or his vacations, golfing, partying and fundraising during the calamitous oil spill.

Take also Obama's declaring on the "Today Show" that he wants to know whose ass to kick. Consummate narcissists would never stoop to this vulgar display of adolescent machismo.

Obama is flat when passion is needed; he's aggressive when savvy is required. What's most worrisome is that Obama doesn't even realize that his behavior is inappropriate.

So if it's not just simple narcissism, what is wrong with Obama? Since I've never evaluated him, I can't say for sure. But I can hazard some educated guesses.

If I saw a client as disconnected as him, the first thing I would wonder: Is something wrong with his brain? And I'd consider the following theoretical diagnostic possibilities. 

--Physical problems: There are a multitude of physiological conditions that can cause people to act strangely. For instance: head injuries, endocrine disturbances, epilepsy, and toxic chemical exposure.

It makes me wonder: Did Obama ever have a head injury? His stepfather in Indonesia was purportedly an alcoholic abuser. Was Obama subject to any physical abuse?

-- Drugs and alcohol: Damage to the brain from drugs and alcohol can also cause significant cognitive impairments. Obama once said that there were 57 states -- and didn't correct himself. Memory problems can be caused by both illicit and prescription drug use.

Obama admits to a history of drug use in his youth. Did his usage cause some damage? Does Obama still use? 

--Asperger's Syndrome: Also known as high-functioning autism, Asperger's causes deficits in social skills. A person with Asperger's can't read social cues. Consequently, he can be insensitive and hurtful without even knowing it. 

Could Obama have Asperger's? He might have some mild traits, but certainly not the full-blown disorder. In contrast to Obama, those with Asperger's get fixated on some behavior, like programming computers. Obama lacks this kind of passion and zeal.

--Mental Illness: Obama's family tree is replete with the unbalanced. His maternal great-grandmother committed suicide. His grandfather, Stanley Dunham, was particularly unhinged: He was expelled from high school for punching his principal; named his daughter Stanley because he wanted a boy; and exposed young Barry to not just drunken trash talk, but unrestricted visits with alleged pedophile Frank Marshall Davis (who might or might not be Obama's biological father). Barack Sr. was an abusive, alcoholic bigamist.

Since mental illness runs in the family, does Obama have any signs? Yes and no. No, he is not a schizophrenic babbling about Martians. But there are red flags for some other conditions.

While Obama doesn't appear to hallucinate, he seems to have delusions. His believing he has a Messiah-like special gift smacks of grandiose delusions. His externalizing all blame to conservatives, George W. Bush, or the "racist" bogeyman hints at persecutory delusions. 

Along with a delusional disorder, Obama may fit for a mild psychotic disorder called schizotypal disorder. It may explain some of Obama's oddness. 

People with schizotypal disorder hold bizarre beliefs, are suspicious and paranoid, and have inappropriate and constricted affect. They have few close friends and are socially awkward. A schizotypal is someone like your strange cousin Becky who is addicted to astrology, believes she is psychic, and is the oddball at social gatherings.

Schizotypal Disorder does ring some bells vis-à-vis Obama. One way the diagnosis doesn't fit, however, is that schizotypals are generally harmless, odd ducks. Not so with Obama.

--Trauma: My gut tells me that Obama was seriously traumatized in childhood. His mother disregarded his basic needs, dragged him all over the place, and ultimately abandoned him.

But I think there may be something even more insidious in his family background. While I can't prove it, the degree of Obama's disconnect reminds me of my sexually abused clients.

With serious sexual abuse, the brain chemistry may change. The child dissociates -- that is, disconnects from his being -- in order to cope. Many adult survivors still dissociate, from occasional trances to the most extreme cases of multiple personality disorder.

Apparently, young Barry was left in the care of Communist Frank Marshall Davis, who admitted to molesting a 13-year-old girl. As a teenager, Obama wrote a disturbing poem, "Pop," that evoked images of sexual abuse -- for instance, describing dual amber stains on both his and "Pop's" shorts.

Would trauma explain Obama's disconnect? In many ways, yes. A damaged and unattached child may develop a "false self." To compensate for the enormous deficits in identity and attachment, the child invents his own personality. For Obama, it may have been as a special, gifted person.

Let's return now to my original question: What is wrong with Obama? My guess is a great deal. The answer is complex and likely includes some combination of the above.

Along with the brain issues are personality disorders: narcissism, paranoia, passive-aggressiveness. There's even the possibility of the most destructive character defect of all, an antisocial personality. Untreated abuse can foster antisocial traits, especially among boys.

If my assessment is accurate, what does this mean? 

It means that liberals need to wake up and spit out the Kool-Aid...and that conservatives should put aside differences, band together, and elect as many Republicans as possible.

Because Obama will not change. He will not learn from his mistakes. He will not grow and mature from on-the-job experience. In fact, over time, Obama will likely become a more ferocious version of who he is today. 

Why? Because this is a damaged person. Obama's fate was sealed years ago growing up in his strange and poisonous family. Later on, his empty vessel was filled with the hateful bile of men like Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers. 

Obama will not evolve; he will not rise to the occasion; he will not become the man he was meant to be. This is for one reason and one reason alone:

He is not capable of it.

A frequent AT contributor, Robin is a psychotherapist in Berkeley and a recovering liberal. You can e-mail Robin at robinofberkeley@hotmail.com. She regrets that she may not be able to acknowledge your e-mail.

[Quix]

NO SWEAT.

NO PROBLEM

ALL’S FORGIVEN though I didn’t really think there was anything I needed to forgive you for.

I MUCH prefer vigorous, intense exchanges than wimpy surface ones—regardless of who’s wrong by how much.

[rockrr]

So much of what we do as humans is learned behaviors. We learn it from our parents or pick it up along the way. That snoot in the air is a deliberate affectation. He learned to do it. He strikes the pose intentionally. I believe that when he does so it is with an expectation of reaction from his “audience” (although he may pose that way in private, but I doubt it).

Perhaps he thinks it is “regal”. Perhaps he thinks it thoughtful. Whatever the case, he thinks it means something, and it is apparent (to me at least) that his meaning is different than ours.

To me he looks arrogant. If it were just a silly pose that would be one thing, but when you couple it with his crap~don’t~stink attitude, the only come-away is rank arrogance. When you’re a kid and you pick your nose, your mama will scold you, “Don’t do that!”. Maybe there wasn’t anyone to tell him don’t.

Sometimes I watch O’reilly at my mom’s house (she loves to yell at the TV ;-) One segment that he does is where they try to interpret body language of people. It’s humorous in trying to nuance meanings out of the merest suggestions.

With Øbozo it’s like the broadside of a barn - he telegraphs like nobodies business!

[Fred Nerks]

Thanks for the ping, Candor.

Narcissism in action, excellent analysis, mojitojoe. Makes my blood run cold and the hair on the back of neck stand up...

[jacquej]

I agree with you.

At some point, probably very soon, events that he cannot handle will become overwhelming, and he will “crack”.

We are all just watching a slow motion train wreck.

[jacquej]

I agree with you.

At some point, probably very soon, events that he cannot handle will become overwhelming, and he will “crack”.

We are all just watching a slow motion train wreck.

[GOPJ]

robinofberkeley@hotmail.com. has an interesting take in subjects... I hope she’s wrong on this one. A President who can’t learn on the job is scary...

[mojitojoe]

I think so many people around the globe would pay to see that bop..... damn, we could pay off the national debt.

[Gapplega]

the classic “psychopathic stare”. It’s very disconcerting. We’re (the US) in grave danger with this lunatic in charge.

[mojitojoe]

As my wife says, “He’s creepy, very creepy”.

[Ditter]

I am with you on that.

[Candor7]

Millionaires overnight! Just ONE I want to see, something like this:

[GlockThe Vote]

Howe about he is a communist and we leave it at that.

[AmericanMermaid]

Look at all the pictures posted by Mojitojoe. There is one specific and really terrifying feature that they all have in common. Do you guys remember the pictures of Mohammad Atta? Those dead eyes, like the eyes of a shark? Soulless eyes, like there is nobody home inside that body. Obama, like Atta, has those eyes. There are some pictures where it’s even more noticeable and like someone else said earlier on the thread, it is disturbing on a level that we can’t consciously explain.

[little jeremiah]

Motorcycle?

---

Wasn’t there a mysterious “other” brother that died in a motorcycle accident or something?

David? That seems not to have existed now, or maybe this one doesn’t, or something

CRAZY.

[Cvengr]

bttt

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Diamond]

Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda, sleight of hand. It can employ distraction, camouflage or concealment. There is also self-deception.

His practiced, conscious use of NLP in those strange, long-winded speeches of his provides abundant evidence of his willingness to deceive and manipulate others.

Cordially,

[Windflier]

Good googly woogly, this “scar” stuff has gotten right out of control.

Listen up people. I’ve got hair like Obama’s. If you don’t brush it just right, you’ll get an accidental part in a place where you don’t intend it.

His handlers/personal groomers just missed it that time.

That is all. No scar. No brain surgery. No implant borg circuitry.

It’s poor hair brushing. Period.

[rfp1234]

Cat’s foot iron claw
Neuro-surgeons scream for more
At paranoia’s poison door.
Twenty first century schizoid man.

Blood rack barbed wire
Polititians’ funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty first century schizoid man.

Death seed blind man’s greed
Poets’ starving children bleed
Nothing he’s got he really needs
Twenty first century schizoid man.

[little jeremiah]

Thanks for the reminder.