GENIUS, EGOMANIA OR MEGALOMANIA

So, who knew that repeating five simple words would a be sufficient evidence to be considered a "genius"? Enter President Donald Trump. During a campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, as part of a physical exam, Mr. Trump asserted that in the course of an "intelligence test" he successfully recalled five words: "Hat, Hair, Logo, White and Black" in the exact order, even after being interrupted by several intervening questions. He claimed that "very few people, or almost none " could remember these words in the correct sequence, and he recounted that doctors reacted with shock, exclaiming: "Holy s---, nobody can do that. I have never had anybody get them all right." "I got them right three times. I can, you know why? Because I am a frickin genius, that's why!" Mr. Trump recalled another similar episode with the same outcome. That time his series of words were: "Person, Man, Woman, Camera, TV." In reality, the tests that were part of his physical were not designed to measure exceptional intelligence. They were part of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) used to screen for dementia and cognitive decline. Results are scored on points - a score of 26 out of 30 is typically considered normal. When we inquired about the apparent simplicity of the specific words the president identified, we were told that these are actually not an official or simplified series from a standard mini mental slate examination of a MoCA test. Real cognitive assessments are strictly structured so that five words come from entirely different semantic categories. An example would consist of words I was exposed to several months ago, which were significantly dissimilar from those the president was asked to remember. Mine were: "Face, Velvet, Church, Daisy and Red." I won't claim superior intelligence for recalling these six months later. A genius, by definition, is someone with extraordinary intellectual or creative power, often measured by IQ tests. It is the application of intelligence in creative and innovative ways that set geniuses apart. Albert Einstein, a verifiable genius, who actually never took an IQ test, was generally acknowledged to have genius level intellect. His IQ was estimated to have been about 160. He viewed "genius" not as a matter of raw IQ, but as a combination of relentless curiosity, independent thinking, simplicity and imaginative persistence. He proclaimed that "true brilliance lies in the ability to make complex ideas simple." Numerically, Einstein did not attempt to compete with others about IQ scores. The first IQ test was not developed until 1905 by French psychologist Alfred Binet. Einstein's "competition" were scientists like Isaac Newton, with an estimated IQ of 195, Wolfgang Von Goethe - estimated between 210 and 225, and American columnist Marilyn Vos Savant, who scored one of the highest at 228, when she was only 10 years old. None of them made a habit of bragging about these. Not surprisingly, few analysts, friend nor foe, would conclude that Trump's experience suggests that he is a genius. A more likely deduction might be that his expressions correspond more closely to those expected from someone with egomaniac or megalomaniac inclinations. To be clear, neither of these, as some would have it, are listed as stand alone mental illnesses. They are understood to be behavioral patterns, or symptoms characterized by grandiose delusions, a craving for power and an inflated sense of self importance. Combined with an extreme unrealistic belief that you are far more important, smart or powerful than you actually are. It is sad to feel the need to even have this conversation. However, these types of behavioral patterns in people with power can ultimately morph into something more dangerous. Adolph Hitler, a definite megalomaniac, for instance, did not think he knew everything in a literal sense, but he suffered from extreme grandiosity, an egocentric worldview, and a deep conviction that his intuition and "destiny" surpassed the expertise of trained generals, diplomats and scientists. Something to think about. Theo Wierdsma