We all overgeneralize; we all project. I have caught myself projecting a lot of negativity onto Trump and his supporters, yet a majority of Americans voted for him. I’ve spent time in therapy calming the unrealistic fears of my clients, yet Trump’s agenda is embraced by many. I am not objective, but I seek to understand why and how these phenomena occur.
Trump is a projection magnet. He consciously and unconsciously encourages and revels in projections of every kind—left, right and center. As a narcissist, attention is a kind of food, a form of ego-nourishment. It matters little whether that food is gourmet dining, a McDonalds hamburgers or a thrown tomato! Everything is ingested and adds to his sense of self. Trump is certain he is right because people love him and people hate him. For good or bad, he performs a function, a role in the American psyche of our time.
How to understand what is going on? In a number of interviews in the 1930s, C.G. Jung “Diagnosed the Dictators”: Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin. Jung tells us that Hitler exists in a category of his own, the Medicine Man, the Myth. Mussolini and Stalin however, embody the category of the Chief.
The Chief is the strong man. He promises order and prosperity, captures and embodies projections of strength and often leads his followers into conflict or war. To maintain power, he needs a dehumanized enemy (us against them) as a focus of aggression. Putin is a current example of the Chief/strong-man—one amongst many.
Trump the Chief
Trump loosely fits into the Chief category. He uses war metaphors to energize his followers; he provides targets (immigrants, Muslims, woke) for people’s frustration and anger; he promises a return to a “Great America” in which people are financially and physically secure.
The Right view him as a financial and cultural savior, a vigorous father-figure, a man who is not afraid to say what he thinks. He is rough and ready, a voice for the unintegrated Shadows of the white male, the conservative woman and the fundamentalist Christian. In this way, he captures multiple projections and thus gains psychic force.
On the other side, the Left project their fears, outrage and anguish onto Trump. The Left espouses compassion, inclusion and equality—except when it comes to Trump and his supporters. The Shadow of compassion is fear and hatred, and if those are projected onto Trump, he gains more power!
How do we get out of this bind? We have to have a realistic view of the man as dangerous but fundamentally inadequate and self-involved. We have to accept that those who voted for him did so for many different reasons: racism, sexism, financial desperation, fear for the future, hope for a Messiah and, “Fuck it all, we need something different!”
Let’s deal with our fears, withdraw our projections and work to understand those who do not share our beliefs. They are not a lumpen mass and they are not all our enemies. Our antagonism and fear give psychological power to those who do not deserve it and depletes us in the process.
Thanks, Roland!!
I think I see wealthy men react to the “Me too” movement with fear. Too many like them have been demolished even though they were wealthy. They defend Trump. All the lawsuits instead of proof
of guilt backfired and made his defenders support him. I think you are pointing this out. Susannah
Hi Susannah, Thank you for your thoughtful comment
Roland, you don’t know how glad I am to read this! My husband and son both are true Trump supporters, and I have been walking the edge thinking about this. You have given me a new way to think about it. Thank you. Sheila
Hi Sheila, It is important to judge people by their actions rather than their beliefs. Many a good man is fooled into self-defeating beliefs and then feel they have to defend them to the death. We have to hold our beliefs lightly and not give in to fear and anger. Take care.
There is a rich client list of those suffering from Trump derangement syndrome. I don’t get the demonising or the association with despots. In my opinion he is a compulsive deal maker. His strategy in the art of the deal is to make the other side believe that you are both powerful and unpredictable. That’s his playbook. It is very effective. I don’t think he is interested in power per se just like a compulsive gambler needing to feed the deal making on a bigger and bigger scale. In the meantime it is a very entertaining spectacle
Lucas
Trump feels he has a mandate to go wherever his impulses lead. Somehow the spectacle is not so entertaining for all those suffering people.