There are lots of theories.
Trump is a narcissist. Trump has arrested development. Trump is a germaphobe. Trump has dementia and is unhinged. Trump is sociopathic. Trump is paranoid. Trump is a compulsive liar.
It goes on and on.
Psychology Today magazine runs articles by psychologists on what is wrong with Trump.
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| Baby Trump blimp. |
Trump is a gifted political performer. That doesn't mean I think he is good. Trump is dangerous. But he has an extraordinary talent as a performer and provocateur. Democrats who cannot bear to say anything "good" about Trump are blind to why he has succeeded.
This blog has taken the point of view that Trump is a natural and instinctive political actor, with a gift for political connection with a significant block of voters frustrated with the economy and open to racial, nativist resentments. His skill is that of a stand-up comedian with a very popular act, or a preacher with an enthusiastic following. Trump is a star.
Trump created a hit show, Trump the candidate and now Trump the president. He has a messy personal life, but the people who like his show ignore that. This is nothing new: actors in rehab, celebrities with multiple marriages, tabloid stories, Charlie Sheen, Michael Jackson. It is the performance, not the person.
What makes Trump interesting? Some observers say it is something childlike. There is an odd element of immaturity in his bullying behavior and name-calling, which this blog has associated with junior high school boys jostling and fighting for status and respect.
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| Psychology Today |
Frequent blog commenter Rick Millward has studied the syndrome of "arrested development" and concluded it is the best explanation for Trump's behavior. He cites the problems closing in on Trump, the campaign finance violations that implicate his son, the hush money payoffs by a personal attorney who has turned state's evidence, his longtime accountant who is talking to prosecutors, and Millward notes that Trump retains the capacity to "ignore his own contradictions, falsehoods, and empty promises while constantly telling lies about his popularity, his policies, and his past actions."
Millward cites the insights from psychologist Carl Pinkhardt and Gordon Allport, who describe the elements of grown-up perception. Trump-the-child lacks those.
***The ability to go beyond self-preoccupation.
***Accurate perception of reality without defensiveness, distortion, or denial.
***Self reflection and insight.
***Focus on solving problems rather than defending ones own interests and ego.
Adults who have parented young children recall the "look at me" period, a period when the child wants the observation and approval of the parent, which dovetails with the necessity of the parent closely watching of the child, since the child is likely at any moment to do something unfiltered, spontaneous, thoughtless, amusing and dangerous.
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| Florida rally attender |
Pinkhardt noted that we actually observe two Trumps, a grown-up Trump and the "real" Trump. From time to time circumstances force Trump to adopt adult, mature behavior--the Trump we see using a teleprompter. That Trump presents respectful, coherent, mature thoughts. The artificiality of that is instantly apparent, and Trump breaks out of it, goes off script, and becomes real.
The real Trump is the spontaneous, unfiltered, spontaneous, thoughtless, amusing, and dangerous Trump. Click: Trump is a 4 year old.
Popular psychology interpretations of Trump have the effect of under-estimating Trump's gift and power. It is a way to dismiss him, since presumably Americans want a mature, grown up president rather than a child.
Not necessarily.
Trump's unfiltered, spontaneous, amusing, and dangerous behavior is a big part of his celebrity and political appeal. Republican voters had every opportunity to support a disciplined, buttoned down serious candidate, but they chose the unconstrained one, the genuine one. Not the teleprompter one.
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| Florida rally Trump fan. |
I watched the rallies. Voters cheered the spontaneous Trump, the one without notes, without self reflection. The one with childlike magical thinking who said it was easy to win, win, win, win, and win some more.
The cheered the one with the arrested development syndrome. Rick Millward is insightful to see it and name it.
A lot of voters like that Trump.
2 comments:
This seems like a very accurate depiction of Trump.
I appreciate your sharing my view, and I would add that what led me to my conclusions is the apparent oblivious behavior in the face of a growing opposition. It's something to behold and it seems to me the result of a monumental act of denial.
We might expect someone with so many mounting problems to be somewhat somber, retiring, constrained, showing some acknowledgment of the allegations coming one after another like some nightmarish dodgeball game. To the contrary he is blithely going about business as usual.
He meets foreign dignitaries, makes pronouncements, holds rallies (my god, the rallies!) and attacks his critics as if all that he is facing is a fiction. A childish mantra, “No Collusion”, is an attempt to create a reality through repetition. Constantly telling lies about his popularity, his policies, and his past actions he cries “fake news” when called out by reputable journalists.
We collectively hold our breath waiting for the moment of realization when that denial crumbles.
Perhaps there are private moments spent in the fetal position. Maybe we will soon see a public tantrum of the sort rumored to be occurring away from the cameras. One thing is for certain; there is more to come as each episode of this warped reality show unfolds.
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