Monday’s article on whether Donald Trump might qualify for a psychiatric diagnosis given information that is publicly available was important. I would like to see an additional emphasis on our president’s moral compass. His moral thinking style leads to his actions, which affect our society.

Ideally, our moral thinking becomes more complex over our lifetime. It starts out with simpler ways of looking at things that are generally self-centered, such as “It would be OK to do such-and-such if I don’t get caught.’’ Or, “It is OK to tell a lie if it lessens my discomfort for the moment.’’

A more mature manner of moral thinking would include how our behaviors affect others as well as ourselves. So, I might not shoplift because the store would need to charge customers to make up for my stealing, and that is not fair to them. Or I might not tell lies because I want people to trust me. I want our president to understand that the general needs of society are as important as his personal needs. I encourage all of us to consider the level of moral thinking we need in our president to establish essential trust.

Janis M. Soma

Needham

The writer is a clinical psychologist.