General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhat attracts people to Trump? What is their animus or driving force?
The reasons are multiple and varied, but in my recent public-service book, Profile of a Nation, I have outlined two major emotional drives: narcissistic symbiosis and shared psychosis. Narcissistic symbiosis refers to the developmental wounds that make the leader-follower relationship magnetically attractive. The leader, hungry for adulation to compensate for an inner lack of self-worth, projects grandiose omnipotencewhile the followers, rendered needy by societal stress or developmental injury, yearn for a parental figure. When such wounded individuals are given positions of power, they arouse similar pathology in the population that creates a lock and key relationship.
Shared psychosiswhich is also called folie à millions [madness for millions] when occurring at the national level or induced delusionsrefers to the infectiousness of severe symptoms that goes beyond ordinary group psychology. When a highly symptomatic individual is placed in an influential position, the persons symptoms can spread through the population through emotional bonds, heightening existing pathologies and inducing delusions, paranoia and propensity for violenceeven in previously healthy individuals. The treatment is removal of exposure.
Why does Trump himself seem to gravitate toward violence and destruction?
Destructiveness is a core characteristic of mental pathology, whether directed toward the self or others. First, I wish to clarify that those with mental illness are, as a group, no more dangerous than those without mental illness. When mental pathology is accompanied by criminal-mindedness, however, the combination can make individuals far more dangerous than either alone.
In my textbook on violence, I emphasize the symbolic nature of violence and how it is a life impulse gone awry. Briefly, if one cannot have love, one resorts to respect. And when respect is unavailable, one resorts to fear. Trump is now living through an intolerable loss of respect: rejection by a nation in his election defeat. Violence helps compensate for feelings of powerlessness, inadequacy and lack of real productivity.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-shared-psychosis-of-donald-trump-and-his-loyalists/
Duncanpup
(13,040 posts)BoRaGard
(397 posts)Deeply disappointed in their own corrupted soul state, they project their self-loathing out onto others.
Smelvis acts as their magnetic puke-pulse center, amplifying their
self-pitying VICTIM stance.
As mouthed so often by their corrupt leader, their motto is "Unfair. Everyone is being mean and, whine-whine-wine, unfair to me."
Sad.
Think. Again.
(9,488 posts)He gives them grand and glorious permission to, and a prime example of, successfully indulging their negative psychological traits.
No more societal restraints holding them back!
tanyev
(42,819 posts)And his public ranting against those things and people gives them a vicarious thrill.
magicarpet
(14,485 posts)czarjak
(11,447 posts)Auggie
(31,288 posts)no_hypocrisy
(46,523 posts)They like how he presents himself and they want to be like that.
Think of how Trump has presented himself to the public since the 1980s in NYC when he emerged.
He trashed Leona Helmsley, who was an easy target because not a lot of people liked her.
He cheated on his first wife, Ivana, who got a lot of money from his divorce, but as a trade-off, Trump got a lot of free publicity and got to run around with his mistress until he got her pregnant. Though a shot-gun wedding, Trump again got a lot of free publicity. When he divorced her, it was seen as a good business decision.
He's rich (on paper) and has a big mouth. He says what "a lot of" people are thinking and tries to have the last word.
He is the current "Everyman" against "The System". He gets away with not paying taxes. (Remember how much blowback Leona Helmsley got for allegedly saying "Only Little People pay taxes"?
And to a lot of people, he's entertaining. His rallies are the equivalent of the "Two Drink Minimum" in a comedy club. He's the modern day equivalent of Billy Sunday. (Look him up.) If Sinclair Lewis were alive (and/or Wayne Barrett), he'd have a field day critiquing Trump.
And Trump's appeal is not necessarily restricted to stupid/ignorant people. I know an aide who works with me in a Special Needs class who is enamoured by him. My late father, a medical doctor, who read prolifically, would have followed Trump to the Gates of Hell. He would have seen Trump as perfecting the Republican Party.
Oopsie Daisy
(3,010 posts)* that they are the "best Christians."
betsuni
(26,057 posts)surfered
(738 posts)In his book, Conservatives Without Conscience, written prior to Trump, John Dean explains their desire for authority.
liberalgunwilltravel
(350 posts)The prime motivating factor driving people to support Trump is racism. Everything else is window dressing.
hibbing
(10,129 posts)whathehell
(29,156 posts)There's more to Trump's appeal than racism. If there wasn't, former governor and Presidential candidate George Wallace would have won easily, especially in that earlier era..Instead he failed miserably.
MOMFUDSKI
(5,986 posts)They lack self esteem. Afraid their own ideas will fail. When it all goes to hell they can blame someone else. I know people like this.
OldBoss
(25 posts)Cult members and victims of abuse are often emotionally bonded to the relationship, unable to see the harm that is being done to them. After a while, the magnitude of the deception conspires with their own psychological protections against pain and disappointment. This causes them to avoid seeing the truth. And the situation with Trump supporters is very similar.
Yup, spot on!
I agree its a form of psychosis but I always cringe when I hear mass psychosis since it was bastardized and popularized by Robert Malone, MD the inventor of mRNA vaccines on Joe Rogan a few years ago.
I think the best way to have dealt with Trump and his cult was to take away his microphone, but our media and apparently society are incapable of doing that.
Bucky
(54,177 posts)How many hyper controlling boyfriends or stuck-in-an-abusive-cycle girlfriends have you seen like that over the years?
FailureToCommunicate
(14,058 posts)I am SO sick of seeing his ugly mug everywhere, ever day.
ProudMNDemocrat
(17,115 posts)Botany
(70,784 posts)He gave them the right to use the word n****r and be nasty ass shits to others
but at the same time believe in a mysterious cloud guy who has a special plan
for them.
tavernier
(12,489 posts)Its so youthful and hot. A golden Adonis! Or perhaps his stylish taste in clothing. The casually stained blue tent suit, or the long red tie extending downward, grazing the thing that all women lust after. Or maybe its the growl in his voice when he weaves his spell with seductive magical words like
fat ass or horse face. Who could ever get tired of hearing that?
apnu
(8,765 posts)Yes, human beings are followers, its how we evolved. Yes we connect our identities to tribes. None of that is new to anyone.
Why Trump? Thats also known. The tribe of middle and lower class white Americans feels it is under threat. They feel economic pressure, that we all feel, and they think the system gives an advantage to non-whites, and they dont understand why.
If you listen to anyone like this for a while, you will see it too. I have observed this for 30+ years, it is a very consistent phenomenon. Trump simply plays to that and the tribe follows.
Emile
(23,710 posts)are just ass kissing followers.
Botany
(70,784 posts)Vlad knew what he was doing in installing Trump as POTUS to play on those feelings in
order to hurt America from within.
NoMoreRepugs
(9,600 posts)MAGATs are wired differently than normal people.
Joinfortmill
(14,650 posts)helped create their make believe idol.
Alice Kramden
(2,182 posts)The evangelicals who wish for patriarchal theocracy. Tr*mp is a means to that end, and his behavior is excused by the "imperfect vessel" trope, a la the biblical King David
et tu
(1,073 posts)i don't remember who said it [sorry] but that the difference
between d45 and jim jones is that d45 would charge for the kool aid
[and would never drink it himself, of course].
Farmer-Rick
(10,304 posts)Trump supporters are very much like Jim Jones followers. Their shared psychosis is reinforced among themselves with magical stories and lies. They are willing to give up their democracy to feel like their super daddy is in control. They feel very insecure because our economy is so brutal on working people. They feel like the one advantage they had in the economy, their male whiteness, is being taken away from them. I bet Trump could get them to drink poisoned Kool Aid too.
"Shared psychosiswhich is also called folie à millions [madness for millions] when occurring at the national level or induced delusionsrefers to the infectiousness of severe symptoms that goes beyond ordinary group psychology. When a highly symptomatic individual is placed in an influential position, the persons symptoms can spread through the populations through emotional bonds, heightening existing pathologies and inducing delusions, paranoia and propensity for violenceeven in previously healthy individuals. The treatment is removal of exposure."
But a lot of us are not taken in by his psychosis. We see what a horrible mess Trump is. We feel the happenchance of our wealth, sex, skin color, religion should not be a basis for power and privilege and government. So, what makes us immune to the Insanity?
oasis
(49,720 posts)were just a couple of clowns trying to get on television.
Irish_Dem
(49,565 posts)I do not believe Trump is delusional or psychotic.
He is lying and he full well knows it.
It is just his sociopathy.
Also narcissists can brag and believe in their grandiosity.
It sounds delusional but does not meet the test for true psychosis.
maxrandb
(15,489 posts)wiggs
(7,844 posts)FrankBooth
(1,623 posts)That's the driving force.
Wednesdays
(17,624 posts)Short answer: it's because they are all like him.
bluestarone
(17,272 posts)All the above answers are true. I'd add that Americans in general are for the UNDERDOG, plus want and believe in MIRACLES, religions FAITH, and just want to be right in what they believe. STUPIDITY to the millionth degree as well. Democracy has, and probably never enter their minds. They have been lied to about our Democracy. (they are being told that Joe Biden wants to take away our democracy and GUNS. Sad part is they refuse to actually believe the RIGHT media. (FOX NEWS has destroyed many minds.) I'm not even sure that this election will be close. I think Joe will win by almost double digit numbers. POLLS men nothing to me this time of year. What i do fear though, is what could the current RETHUGS do to destroy our election in their states? SOMETHING is in the air that they WILL DO. Is the Supreme Court willing to help him? (I don't know) But i can't say NO for sure. We'll see i guess.
mnmoderatedem
(3,766 posts)not just illegals, ALL immigrants. He hates the same people they hate.
Scrivener7
(51,172 posts)after he was out of office that we have not done.
ThoughtCriminal
(14,100 posts)They want to get rich by ripping off people. They want to cheat on their taxes. They want to have sex affairs with porn stars and face no consequences. They want to threaten, insult, and ridicule the powerless and be applauded. They want to commit every sin possible and be praised by evangelical phonies. The list goes on.
Electing Trump is a fantasy wish fulfillment for all the dark things they want for themselves.