So... that book.

[robkelk]

The one that the Nicknamer-in-Chief's niece wrote.

Is she qualified to write such a book?

According to this article in Forbes, Mary Trump earned a Master's and a Ph.D in clinical psychology at Adelphi University.

Also according to the same article in Forbes, she called her uncle's election win "one of the worst nights of my life".

While one would expect somebody who is trained in a field to be able to work in that same field, one would also expect somebody who made such a comment to dislike the person in question. The question here is whether she is sufficiently professional to keep her opinions out of her diagnosis.

So... CBC asked "about two dozen" clinical psychologists to comment.

Nearly all the experts contacted by CBC News declined to comment, several citing various reasons: ethical considerations, fear of professional consequences and fear of harassment from Trump supporters.

But they did find two who were willing to comment on the record, and a third who was willing to comment on the condition of anonymity. CBC asked two questions:

• Is it ethically permissible to write what Mary Trump wrote?
  
• Do they agree with what she's written about the president, based on excerpts they've seen from media reports on the book?
  

For the answers, please see the CBC article linked above.

[Black Aeronaut]

Were I in the field of psychology, I would side with the two named commentators, in that there is an ethical duty to inform.

Not that it would have stopped a lot of people from voting for him, but I think that a lot of people that did vote for him are narcissists themselves, to one extent or another.

Disclaimer: I'm no expert, I'm just speaking based on my own prior experiences.

Unlike their cousin, the Sociopath, Narcisists have, as I once told someone, "No Chill".  They are balls to the walls, all day, every day, because in the end?  It's all about them.  And they could care less if Rome is burning - so long as their name is being cheered as the fires tear everything down around them, they don't care.  A Sociopath, on the other hand?  When they're raised to recognize what society will tolerate, they will adapt quite readily.  Sure, they'll push the envelope, but only as far as they can get away with it.

A properly socialized Sociopath takes a look at Trump and thinks, "Interesting.  He's obviously a figurehead, but I wonder how long until he manages to hang himself, and if his backers will come to his rescue or not?"

A Narcisist, though...  "OH BOY!  HE SAYS ALL THE THINGS I'M THINKING!  I BETTER VOTE FOR HIM BECAUSE HE IS ME!"

[robkelk]

And the book-publicity interviews have started.

I'll just leave this here.

[Labster]

A family member got the book on tape, which means I've heard at least a couple chapters worth in passing. I think it's just a basic fact that The Donald is a total nutbag. The question remains of whether it should disqualify him from holding office. At this point, that's a question only voters can answer.

I think it's significant because a lot of us are feeling bullied and gaslighted by our president. In a way, this book is important because it puts it in its place, and shows how it's a long chain from the abuser Fred Trump, which passes down to his children. And one of the children, Donald, passes it down to his children, and to a lesser degree the rest of us. So Mary Trump's own reckoning with her family issues is also cathartic to the rest of us -- it's sympathetic.