THE “DARK TRIAD”

THE “DARK TRIAD”

BARACK OBAMA

Why did you choose this person? In other words, describe why you think they fit this personality type. Be sure to include information related to their accomplishments, any controversies surrounding this person, and even their relationships (e.g., break ups, family relationships) that support your opinion.

I chose Barack Obama because all these personality characteristics were able to be seen clearly during his time before and during the presidency. Obama was self-absorbed and charming to have become a president. He was able to manipulate voters to go his way. During his administration, Obama was trying so hard to make people admire him, and he could give all kinds of speech to persuade citizens that he was the best leader (Jenni, 2012). He wanted people to give him so much attention and recognize his leadership style. One example of his psychopathy characteristic is lack of remorse and where he was not at all concerned about the morality of his actions, something he admitted. From my judgment, he looked insensitive. I can also say that he demonstrated Machiavellianism because sometimes I feel that he could use deceit to get his way and exploit others towards his end. He would expect favor from people and seek prestige regarding his doings. Surprisingly, there is a time he becomes so obsessed with his legacy and was mainly focusing on leaving the best footprints. During the Obama presidency, he s seen to do whatever it meant to achieve his goals as the president of the United States.

Do you think that this person may be higher on one trait more so than the other(s)? E.g., Are they more narcissistic than psychopathic? Why or why not? Be sure to support your response, as in question # 1.

Barack Obama seems to be more of a narcissist. He is always preoccupied with how his public image will be projected. He wants to be admired by everyone. The is a time when Steve Hilton, who was one of his advisors, said that the former president thought that he was smarter than everyone and was self-absorbed. Of course, there are controversial stories that Obama never listened to anyone, and he felt he could give the best solutions to problems that were facing the united states (Jenni, 2012). Another aspect that Shows Obama’s narcissistic characters from our above example is how he was always doing all he can to promote himself and seek attention.

Theorize what it would be like to interact with your chosen individual in a variety of relationships (work, friends, romantic, family, etc.). Give examples of how they would act, speak, think, and its effect on you. (1-2 paragraphs).

Suppose I was interacting with Obama in various relationships, for instance, work, I will have to understand that this kind of people usually to make themselves better than anyone. If anything goes wrong, they like passing blames to their fellows because they think they always smart than anyone else. If something does not work the way they intended, they feel attacked (Koehn et al., 2018). To avoid this blame game, I will take note of everything we have said during our conversations, even if it means putting it in writing. This will make it easier to reference to avoid fights. Narcissists sometimes look for ways to put someone down. They find a weak spot and make use of it as ammunition to be against you. This can affect my performance, and therefore I will have to walk away and avoid minding them.

Suppose this individual was my friend. I can imagine how he would behave. When we are having conversations, he will want to be listened to. This will end up making the conversation one-sided; hence I will fee bored with the whole talk. It will slowly start affecting our relationship negatively (Tomic, 2016). This is because I would not wish to meet up with someone for an evening coffee, then he ends up dominating the whole session. However, I can still benefit from this friend if he is kind of a person who gives entertaining stories. A narcissist friend will expect me to be loyal and might betray me and take it as nothing. Therefore, it is tough and tricky to interact with a narcissistic friend. I cannot imagine how a dark triad individual will expect me to admire them, always acknowledge their achievement, and make them feel appreciated. This will make me feel like I am a slave to them.

Jenni, R. A. (2012). Barack Hussein Obama’s Dark Triad. Retrieved from http://tpartyus2010.ning.com/profiles/blogs/barack-hussein-obama-s-dark-triad

Koehn, M., Okan, C., & Jonason, P. (2018). A primer on the Dark Triad traits. Australian Journal Of Psychology, 71(1), 7-15. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajpy.12198

Tomic, K. (2016). The dark triad: Emotional and interpersonal characteristics. Sinteze, (10), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.5937/sinteze0-12227