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.

[rambo316]

While warriors were murdered at Ft. Hood, this nut was giving a shout out. To this day, the feeling that I felt when the Usurper did this back when that happened, still bothers me to this day. I am glad Robin brought that up. This guy is psycho and that is a fact.

[Quix]

However,

AH’s don’t spring suddenly forth anew in the rose bed on a May day.

They are caused, created, . . . birthed . . . in/from their own private horrorific womb.

[Quix]

OMG - I am watching the video of the miner memorial ceremony, and the raging looks, shuffles, and internal fury building up in Obama - AT A MEMORIAL OF ALL TIMES - is just terrifying.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY can complain about Richard Nixon after Obama!!

---

INDEED.

[Quix]

Excellent summary, imho . . . with lots of help from such as these blokes:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2

[Quix]

And these broken, desperately needy people are PERFECT for others to manipulate into high office, because they are so desperate for adulation.

We should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER elect emotionally needy people to high office. Period. No Bill Clintons. No Newt Gingriches. NO BARACK OBAMAS!

You want people, as humanly flawed as anyone may be, who are not socially, financially, or emotionally desperate. You want people who have had some success, and who had great, satisfying childhoods, with loving parents, or at least publicly have overcome their rough beginnings and are open about the lessons they have learned along the way.

You want a Ronald Reagan, even a George W. Bush. People

---

VERY WELL PUT.

THX.

[Quix]

INDEED:

= =

And ALL of his afflictions, including his childhood, are TOTALLY compatible with islam...which is an INFLICTED and degenerative mental illness that corrupts everything it touches. islam seeks its converts amongst the mentally ill and criminally insane.
islam is a drug more addictive and damaging than anything you can snort, inject, or smoke. It is a continuing psychological onslaught that impairs cognitive functions making it nearly impossible to cure. The pathology is both sadistic and masochistic without balance which sets up a behavioural paradox.

It is a “religion” which PROMOTES madness as the norm and revenge as an obligation. islam considers it DIShonorable to NOT seek revenge even for PERCEIVED wrongs.

[Quix]

No.

Not setting you up to flame you.

Was just thinking of using your profession and an analogy therefrom to help you/folks see how one from my mental health profession as a clinical psychologist might make an assessment from a distance of OThuga with some reasonableness and validity to it.

i.e.

there are likely issues, situations, relationships, incidents

that you, from a distance,

because of your extensive experience

could easily make a fairly quick assessment—on

RELATIVELY

little information

[compared to a formal extensive data collection and assessment]

and STILL the odds would be ~98+% or better that you’d be mostly quite right.

[MestaMachine]

How are you, Quix? Doing much better I hope.

[Bellflower]

I’m as staunch of a conservative as anyone that I know, but I find myself becoming much more libertarian on social issues in my old age.

Maybe you are experiencing mental difficulty in your "old age" and do not realize it. It seems that too many of those in leadership positions too often get weird and open to things that they would never go along with in their brighter, less degenerated past. They start to cave and it could just be that they mentally are deteriorating. Watch yourself and don't let yourself lose your moral principles.

[Quix]

Tolerably.

Thx.

Mild bronchial congestion lingering.

Spiritually . . . partially fasting . . . seeking God . . . want clearer direction in a number of areas . . .

Some good results and efforts at pottery, encouragingly.

Grieving for our grand land.

Glad God is God and always will be God.

Glad Christ’s Blood covers our sins and makes us HIS.

And you?

[CharacterCounts]

I am certainly no psychologist, but besides his all too apparent narcissism, Obama mostly appears to be immature. His demeanor and attitude constantly reminds me of an adolescent. Hence, his extremely inappropriate behavior towards the Queen of England, or the Prime Minister of Israel.

It is all too apparent that Obama, like most teens views the world from a self-centered position. He is never the cause of any problem, but is often the victim. Like most adolescents, he is quick to jump to conclusions without considering the real facts (beer summit anyone).

In short, he is a drama queen.

Worse, he is surrounded with people who suffer from the same melodramatic juvenile personalities.

Does, sending a dead fish to an opponent, sound like the conduct of a mature adult?

[MestaMachine]

Stressed. Very.

[Quix]

Scripture is full of

FEAR NOT.

FRET NOT.

TRUST IN GOD.

AVOID BEING ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING.

More there than ever before. More growing to do in that dept.

By His Grace, HE IS COMMITTED TO FINISHING WHAT HE STARTED IN AND WITH ME.

PRAISE GOD FOR THAT!

[AmericaUnite]

Never heard the poem story. Yuck.

[ExTexasRedhead]

You summed Zero’s mental state up expertly. I think we all would like to be a “fly on the Oval Office wall” so we could tell all and save our country. There is always one witness to every massacre and eventually someone will expose the truth of what is going on in “our” White House. All Presidents have had leaks unless their are threats so extreme that no one will dare tell the truth even knowing their country is at risk.

[Diamond]

holds this pose in the most unbelievably self satisfied manner ...

It is a pose, and that's all it is - just a pose. That is literally, all HE is. I tend to agree that his strange, self-invented personality is his attempt to cope with past physical, mental and spiritual abuse.

Cordially,

[left that other site]

You got THAT right, My FRiend!

[opentalk]

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.

Had to look up what NLP was-- neuro-linguistic programing

This helps explain why he has the TelePrompter. The pre-written speeches intentionally use NLP, why off TelePrompter he seems so different. Very disturbing. All about control.

[angelsonmyside]

bump

[Diamond]

all I’m saying is that on a constitutional level, it is very difficult for me to defend NOT allowing same-sex couples to be married.

While my reaction here is undoubtedly beyond the scope of this thread, I must say that the Constitution itself is based on the Natural Law, which is insensate to the oxymoronic concept of "same-sex marriage". I think It is naive in the extreme to imagine that forcing every citizen of a State at the barrel of a gun viz a viz the law to accept the self-contradictory notion of gay "marriage" is not a threat the the liberty of religious institutions, not to mention the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness of every citizen. When laws are made that violate the Natural Law don't be surprised when your true liberties are destroyed.

If "gay marriage" it something a person with mental disorders like Obamination would favor, (at least secretly if not openly, purely for marxist dialectical, political reasons) shouldn't that be a warning sign to you that there might be something wrong with it?

Cordially,