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.

[Psalm 144]

The whole right hand, posterior side of his head is messed up.

Weird.

BTW, that photo sure has a lot of ugly in it.

[Natural Born 54]

I think he’s really crazy as well as evil, and brain damaged, and maybe still taking drugs, and may have AIDS. I also think he’ll “resign” or get pulled out before his first term is up. I think he’ll crack mentally when things go south on him more.

Sometimes I think Palin realizes this and jerks his chain when writing her face book messages so as to hurry the process.

[DontTreadOnMe2009]

He is indeed strange: Thanks to TigersEye: 0bamas’ hidden records: Why are these off limits? 1 Certified copy of original "long form" birth certificate - NOT A SCAN
2 Columbia University transcripts
3 Columbia thesis paper
4 Campaign donor analysis requested by 7 major watchdog groups
5 Harvard University transcripts
6 Illinois State Senate records
7 Illinois State Senate schedule
8 Law practice client list and billing records/summary
9 Locations and names of all half-siblings and step-mother
10 Medical records (only the one paragraph summary released so far; J McCain released 400 pages) 
11 Occidental College Transcripts - why was he rooming with ONLY gay Pakistani Muslim foreign students???
12 Parent’s marriage Certificate
13 Record of baptism
14 Selective Service registration records; form found so far seems to have had numbers added.
(Did Obama Actually Register for Selective Service?
This supposed revelation of 0's SS records has been debunked here and here.)
15 Schedules of trips outside of the United States before 2007 (what kind of impoverished college student goes to Pakistan on Spring Break?)
16 Passport records for all passports
17 Scholarly articles (one in his entire life?)
18 SAT and LSAT test scores (Ha!)
19 Access to his grandmother in Kenya, access to his grandmother in USA was also denied
20 List of all campaign workers that are lobbyists
21 Punahou grade school records, myseriously lost
22 Noelani Kindergarten records are oddly missing from the the State of Hawaii Department of Education. (Entrance requires a Birth Certificate)
23 Page 11 of Stanley Ann Dunham's divorce decree. Missing from the 12 page decree- Why? This page shows children's status, such as age and place of birth.
24 Why isn't Barack Obama still a member of the Illinois bar and where are all of the relevant documents?
25 Why isn't Michelle Obama still a member of the Illinois bar, after only about four years of practice, and where are all of the relevant documents? 26. Why do credit report searches of his name reveal several different SS #s used, including a special foreign students only SS # starting with "999" --that the IRS reserves for non-American students who do not need or not yet have a US SS number??? 27. FReepers : add you own here and repost !!!!!!!!! Anyone who cares about their country would be very concerned that a POTUS had hidden every scrap of information of his life that he possibly could. Wasn't the very first Presidential Order that he signed designed to forbid access to the records of Barack Hussein Obama ???

[ransomnote]

Her March 17, 2010 article about Obama being a ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ is very good too: http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/03/obama_is_a_stranger_in_a_stran.html
In that article she identifies her own strange up bringing and how it drove her to seek others who were also strange. She then points out that Obama has surrounded himself with strange people, too. In the combination of both of her articles, I see my primary concerns about him articulated very well.
a) The ‘Nothingness’ of Obama. When I say he is an empty suit I am not being all that figurative. He is such an empty person. It’s not just an overwhelming lack of qualifications - it is a marked lack of recognizable humanity.
b) The weird way Obama does not know there is anything wrong with his behavior. If his handlers are telling him how he should act at funerals, oil spills - he can’t understand them. He doesn’t think he needs to understand them, or anyone.
c) Disconnectedness: Obama broadcasts his own interpretation of reality and doesn’t often check to see if anyone is receiving it. He values nothing - he exists to support a false image of himself. All other concerns including terrorism, oil spills, the destruction of his party, the destruction of our country etc. don’t matter to him. He’s not calm - he is devoid of empathy, compassion, and other animating human emotions.
d) His resting rage. Even when he is said to be relaxing, there is a deep, permanent anger that leaks out. This anger is provoked by trivialities and yet sleeps when it is most needed. May G-d protect our country if Obama ever exercises the full extent of his rage on the national stage.
c) The unprecedented, limitless threat he represents to our country.

Tonight I am once again filled with the original fury I felt toward the Dems and the MSN for subjecting us all to this ‘entity’ even as they preened and crowed about their own enlightened superiority. But having seen more of him since the election...well...it gives me cause to turn again toward my spiritual faith for peace and the hope of getting some sleep tonight. And I will say a prayer for those cute kids of his - what is it like to have that ‘entity’ as a father?

[shibumi]

Nope.

Something much, much worse.

[Natural Born 54]

[shibumi]

"The whole right hand, posterior side of his head is messed up."

Brain Salad Surgery.

[Semper Mark]

"Obama's" = Obamas

[Cindy]

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNu9xjUwPEk

“60 Minutes Kroft To Joking Obama “Are You Punch Drunk?””

Video Description - quote:

Speakmymind02 — March 22, 2009 — http://hotairpundit.blogspot.com/
Rank Amateur, Immature, Rookie, Novice come to mind. An entry-level employee was made CEO. Mr. Obama, the world is watching, terrorist regimes are watching, America’s enemies plotting against this country are watching...
But it looks like it’s Sunday Night funnies at 60 Minutes
What would happen if Bush was caught laughing in an interview about money in banks and the auto industry?
They would have torn him to shreds.
I wonder if all those people who have lost their life savings in retirement connected to the Auto Industry stock were watching tonight?
Joking Obama forgetting he not on Leno tonight...

Category:
News & Politics

Tags:
60 Minutes Barack Obama Punch Drunk Cheney Gitmo Iraq AIG Bailout

[little jeremiah]

Pure freaking evil.

[little jeremiah]

Sounds very possible! I don’t read her Facebook stuff as I can’t stand joining one other thing that needs registering and a pw.

She’s got a sense of humor and what a way to use it.

[matthew fuller]

Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by dramatic, emotional behavior, in the same category as antisocial and borderline personality disorders.

Narcissistic personality disorder symptoms may include:

Believing that you’re better than others
Fantasizing about power, success and attractiveness
Exaggerating your achievements or talents
Expecting constant praise and admiration
Believing that you’re special and acting accordingly
Failing to recognize other people’s emotions and feelings
Expecting others to go along with your ideas and plans
Taking advantage of others
Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior
Being jealous of others
Believing that others are jealous of you
Trouble keeping healthy relationships
Setting unrealistic goals
Being easily hurt and rejected
Having a fragile self-esteem
Appearing as tough-minded or unemotional
Although some features of narcissistic personality disorder may seem like having confidence or strong self-esteem, it’s not the same. Narcissistic personality disorder crosses the border of healthy confidence and self-esteem into thinking so highly of yourself that you put yourself on a pedestal. In contrast, people who have healthy confidence and self-esteem don’t value themselves more than they value others.

When you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may come across as conceited, boastful or pretentious. You often monopolize conversations. You may belittle or look down on people you perceive as inferior. You may have a sense of entitlement. And when you don’t receive the special treatment to which you feel entitled, you may become very impatient or angry. You may insist on having “the best” of everything — the best car, athletic club, medical care or social circles, for instance.

But underneath all this behavior often lies a fragile self-esteem. You have trouble handling anything that may be perceived as criticism. You may have a sense of secret shame and humiliation. And in order to make yourself feel better, you may react with rage or contempt and efforts to belittle the other person to make yourself appear better.

When to see a doctor
When you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may not want to think that anything could be wrong — doing so wouldn’t fit with your self-image of power and perfection. But by definition, narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of your life, such as relationships, work, school or your financial affairs. You may be generally unhappy and confused by a mix of seemingly contradictory emotions. Others may not enjoy being around you, and you may find your relationships unfulfilling.

If you notice any of these problems in your life, consider reaching out to a trusted health care provider or mental health provider. Getting the right treatment can help make your life more rewarding and enjoyable.

[Cobra64]

"It makes me wonder: Did Obama ever have a head injury?"

[little jeremiah]

Scars could be from an injury like an accident or surgery. I wonder which it is.

[Natural Born 54]

I think we are now seeing the results of public school brain washing reinforced by the media post classroom - at least the under 50 segment of the voting population. Now those more senior creatures in Congress, that’s a different story. They were part of the crowd that helped design the curriculum for students not lucky enough to have the kind of parents to offset the crap they got fed by their teachers. A special thanks to Mr. Dewey.

[Cindy]

Obama speaking about drugs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kTOlU0IJSY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQr9ezr8UeA

#

Obama in his younger years:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrffaX8oHe0

[Niteflyr]

Disconnection and inappropriate behavior is common with a borderline personality which is beyond simple narcissism. I know...I was married to one.

[60Gunner]

How about “He’s just an idiot who is overdue from being purged from this country?”

[liberty or death]

That should be his new Helen Thomas. Front and center in the press core so that whenever he opens his perpetual lie hole he see’s Helens replacement acknowleging his true character.

[Natural Born 54]

Lots of sites, including here, publish those writings in toto. There’s no copyright problem with doing a full posting. I always see them here. I wouldn’t join FB either. It’s just a way to let the government know who all you know and what you’re into - who needs that?