David Brooks, a conservative columnist for the New York Times, is attributing all the characteristics of a psychologically diagnosed narcissist to Donald Trump.

"Psychologists are not supposed to diagnose candidates from afar, but there is a well-developed literature on narcissism that tracks with what we have seen of Trump," Brooks wrote Friday. "By one theory, narcissism flows from a developmental disorder called alexithymia, the inability to identify and describe emotions in the self. Sufferers have no inner voice to understand their own feelings and reflect honestly on their own actions."

Brooks, who is not a licensed therapist, went on to suggest that the Republican nominee may not love himself and may have an inability to empathize with others.

"Unable to know themselves, or truly love themselves, they hunger for a never-ending supply of admiration from outside," he said. "They act at all times like they are performing before a crowd and cannot rest unless they are in the spotlight."

Trump is known for his relentless self-promotion and unending references to his financial success, but he has also proven popular among white working-class voters with several of his policy proposals.

In a previous column, Brooks acknowledged Trump's appeal to GOP voters but admitted that he himself is not "socially intermingled" among them.