The Trump Revolution

00:10:41
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02JwJZid1QU

Summary

TLDRIn this analysis, S. Vaknin discusses the psychological conditions driving the support for Donald Trump, particularly among his base, who feel frustrated, dislocated, and disenfranchised. The author explores the dynamics of a narcissistic leader and the idealization of Trump by his followers, who perceive him as a savior figure. This fascination is linked to revolutionary sentiments that echo past movements, suggesting a dangerous trajectory fueled by collective psychosis and nihilism. The text underscores the implications of malignant narcissism, emphasizing the risk it poses to democratic norms and suggesting that not all politicians exhibit such extreme narcissistic traits. The author warns against elevating such leadership to positions of power, highlighting the inherent dangers in conjoining personal worth to a narcissistic figure.

Takeaways

  • 🧠 Psychological Frustration: Supporters feel betrayed and dislocated.
  • 👥 Idealization of Trump: Followers transfer their hopes onto him.
  • ⚡ Revolutionary Sentiments: Echoes of past revolutions in current dynamics.
  • 💔 Nihilistic Mindset: A collective regression to fantasizing empowerment.
  • 📉 Illusory Achievements: Trump's accomplishments are seen as exaggerated.
  • 🔍 Malignant Narcissism: Distinction made between narcissistic and malignant leaders.
  • 🔄 Shared Psychosis: Group dynamics lead to denial and violence.
  • 🗳️ Political Danger: The threat to democracy is highlighted.
  • ⚔️ Historical Parallels: Comparisons to revolutions show a trend.
  • 🤔 Not All Politicians: Not every politician is a malignant narcissist.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The text discusses the psychological factors behind the support for Donald J. Trump, highlighting how his fans experience frustration and betrayal from a deteriorating political system. It compares the dynamics of their support to historical revolutions, suggesting that Trump's followers seek empowerment through identification with him, viewing him as a potential savior that could dismantle the current political framework.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:41

    The analysis continues by examining the psychological mechanisms at play within Trump's base, describing a shared psychosis where supporters deny inconvenient truths and idealize Trump as a powerful leader. This creates a dangerous political cult atmosphere, where dissent is not tolerated, leading to an environment ripe for violence and nihilistic ideologies. The text ultimately distinguishes between narcissistic traits in various politicians and the more dangerous, malignant narcissism exhibited by Trump.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What psychological phenomena does the author associate with Trump's followers?

    The author discusses frustration leading to aggression and feelings of abandonment and dislocation among Trump's supporters.

  • How does the author describe Trump's relationship with his supporters?

    Trump's supporters idealize him and transfer their decision-making responsibilities to him, viewing him as a savior who will restore their sense of importance.

  • What historical comparisons does the author make?

    The author compares the sentiments of Trump's base to revolutionary movements like the French Revolution, suggesting a parallel in the radicalization of disaffected groups.

  • What does the author say about Trump as a leader?

    Trump is described as a narcissistic and psychopathic figure who encourages a false sense of empowerment among his followers.

  • What dangers does the author see in Trump's movement?

    The author warns of the potential for nihilism and violence, as well as the shared psychosis among his supporters.

  • Does the author believe all politicians are narcissists?

    No, the author distinguishes between narcissistic traits in many politicians and the specific danger posed by malignant narcissism.

  • What is the author's stance on Trump's claims of being a populist leader?

    The author argues that Trump fosters a dangerous illusion of empowerment among his base while undermining democratic structures.

  • How does the author characterize Trumps achievements?

    Trump's achievements are portrayed as mostly illusory, driven by a need for admiration rather than substantive policy achievements.

  • What impact does the author believe Trump's leadership style has on democracy?

    The author suggests that Trump's narcissistic leadership threatens democratic principles and could lead to authoritarianism.

  • What is malignant narcissism according to the author?

    Malignant narcissism is a form of extreme narcissism characterized by a lack of empathy and a predisposition to harm others in pursuit of power.

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  • 00:00:02
    my name is s vaknin and I the author of
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    malignant self love narcissism
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    Revisited the Trump
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    Revolution the supporters and fans of
  • 00:00:14
    Donald J Trump are
  • 00:00:17
    frustrated in
  • 00:00:19
    1939 a team of psychologists led by John
  • 00:00:23
    Dollard hypothesized that frustration
  • 00:00:25
    always leads to
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    aggression legitimate G es against a
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    dysfunctional corrupt and compromised
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    polity a deceptive eths an American
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    Dream turned nightmare a broken system
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    that no longer works for the
  • 00:00:43
    overwhelming majority and appears to be
  • 00:00:46
    unfixable all these lead Trump's base to
  • 00:00:50
    feel that they had been betrayed
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    abandoned duped exploited abused ignored
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    disenfranchised IED and trampled
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    upon they are in the throws of
  • 00:01:05
    dislocation disorientation and
  • 00:01:09
    Trauma the declining fortunes of the
  • 00:01:13
    people who support
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    Trump their obsolete skills render them
  • 00:01:20
    insignificant and irrelevant and their
  • 00:01:23
    lives
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    meaningless it is hopelessness coupled
  • 00:01:28
    with impotent helplessness
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    that is the engine behind Trump's
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    Ascension Trump's adulators seek to
  • 00:01:38
    bypass the system and even to dismantle
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    it all together they don't want to
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    reform it they wanted
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    gun This Is The Stuff revolutions are
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    made of and the pronouncements of
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    Trump's cohorts are inadvertently copy
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    pasted from the texts of the French
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    Revolution the the October Revolution
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    which led to bolshevism and even the
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    Nazi
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    Revolution such conditions often give
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    rise to counts centered around a
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    narcissistic or Psychopathic leader
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    figurehead in TR the abyss between his
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    life's circumstances and his followers
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    is
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    unbridgeable and yet they hope that by
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    associating with him however remotely
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    some of his Glamour and magical fairy
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    tale success will rub off on them voting
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    for Trump is like winning the lottery
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    becoming a part of a juggernaut end of
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    History it is an intoxicating sensation
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    of empowerment that Trump encourages by
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    telling his voters that they are no
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    longer average that they are now by
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    virtue of following him great and
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    special he even if only by proxy and
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    vicariously Trump trump idealizes his
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    voters condescendingly but still
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    idealizes it and they return the favor
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    in their eyes he is the cleanser of the
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    beltway's aian Stables he singlehandedly
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    in 10 minutes in his words will destroy
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    the the ancient regime the old order of
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    which he had been a part since age 21
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    may I remind you he the Trump will
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    settle scores dirty har style and thus
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    make their
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    day it is a nihilistic mindset some of
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    his followers gleefully contemplate the
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    suspension of the Constitution and its
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    elaborate checks and
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    balances others discuss openly and
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    fervently and hopefully a war with China
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    and Russia yet some others compare him
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    to first Roman
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    emperors these people behind Trump wish
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    to unburden themselves by transferring
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    their decisionmaking and
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    responsibilities onto the chosen one the
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    great
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    leader to his eoit and contrary to much
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    evidence Trump is a doer with a long
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    list of mostly illusory
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    accomplishments he is best equipped to
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    get things done and to prioritize they
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    say in Washington where appearances
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    matter far more than substance no one is
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    better credential than the Donald this
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    SM these champions of small government
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    and conservatism look to Trump when
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    President in other words they look to
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    the state to generate jobs to insulate
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    them from the outside world to protect
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    them from illegal aliens and terrorist
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    surely one and the same and in general
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    to Nanny and ceton all the way to the
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    bank
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    the world they say is a hostile
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    Psychopathic place and who best to deal
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    with it than an even more hostile
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    narcissistic leader like Trump we need a
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    bad big wolf to navigate through the
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    jungle out there they exclaim and this
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    is a form of collective regression to
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    toddlerhood with Trump in the role of
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    the omnipotent omniscient
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    father in abnormal psychology this is
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    called shared psychosis the members of
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    The Cult deploy a host of primitive
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    infantile psychological defense
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    mechanisms as they gradually dwindle
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    into mere extensions and reflections of
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    their
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    Skipper theirs is a malignant optimism
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    grounded not in reality but in
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    idealization the tendency to interact
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    not with Trump himself but with an
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    imaginary Trump that each fan tailors to
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    suit his or her fears hopes wishes and
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    fervent
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    fantasies and then there is of course
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    denial of theological response the
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    repression of inconvenient truths about
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    Trump and their relegation to the
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    unconscious where they Fester into
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    something called
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    dissonance dissonance breeds rage and
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    violence and these of accompany
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    nihilistic and destructive political
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    Cults denial goes well with splitting
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    the demonization and denigration of
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    opponents and adversaries critics and
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    bystanders and sometimes innocent
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    interlocutors if you are not 100% with
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    us you are 1,000% against us and if you
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    are against us you are the en enemy to
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    be sucker punched and carried out on a
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    stretcher Trump's
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    words one such fantasy Trump actively
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    encourages is that he is just acting to
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    the crowds now he's below the belt of
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    obnoxiousness is just for show in a feat
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    of rationalization worthy of bini
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    Trump's Legions attribute his craft
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    bullishness to market research and risen
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    electoral
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    calculus once elected he will
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    miraculously be transformed into a
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    presidential and dignified politician
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    who plays by the rules and is by no
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    means buffoonish vulgar and offensive
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    these people insist with a knowing wink
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    as though they have ever truly been in
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    the nor as though they are Pals with a
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    in bodies with a great man
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    himself such intimations of Arcane
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    knowledge cater to their growing sense
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    of self-importance
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    indeed trumps May well be the first
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    postmodern narcissistic mass
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    movement such admirable thespian skills
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    attribute to Trump and proudly owned by
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    him required require the Ingrid
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    personality of a consumate and
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    thoroughly Psychopathic con
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    artist narcissist affect these
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    transitions between different selves and
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    different gues and different masks and
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    different personas
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    effortlessly and this is precisely
  • 00:08:18
    because they have only a false self no
  • 00:08:23
    true self they only have a confabulated
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    grandio image that they project and
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    which has very little to do with
  • 00:08:30
    reality the sole aim of the false self
  • 00:08:34
    is to guard their narcissistic Supply
  • 00:08:36
    attention if possible unmitigated
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    admiration and adulation power
  • 00:08:42
    money Faking It is second nature to Nar
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    to The
  • 00:08:48
    Narcissist exaggerating lying pretending
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    shape-shifting zelik chameleons whatever
  • 00:08:56
    it takes everything is negotiable
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    another fantasy is that the narcissist
  • 00:09:01
    will never turn against his own people
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    Trump will mercilessly crush the
  • 00:09:06
    quartery of corrupt power Brokers in
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    Washington but will never ever direct
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    the full might of his gratuitous sadism
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    against his own followers fans ENT
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    supporters and forming admirers so they
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    say history of course teaches otherwise
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    sooner or later The Narcissist
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    cannibalizes his own power base and
  • 00:09:30
    treats his enemies his most rabid lackys
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    and
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    toies people shrug and say but ain't all
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    politicians narcissistic so what who
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    cares well the answer is a resounding no
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    not all politicians are n are
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    narcissists malignant narcissists many
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    of them are narcissistic but not all of
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    them are malignant
  • 00:09:55
    narcissists granted it would be safe to
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    assume that most politicians have n
  • 00:09:59
    narcissistic traits but as the great
  • 00:10:01
    psychologist Theodore Milan observed
  • 00:10:03
    there is a world of difference between
  • 00:10:05
    being possessed of a narcissistic style
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    and being a full-fledged malignant
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    dangerous destructive
  • 00:10:12
    narcissist the famous author Scott peek
  • 00:10:15
    suggested that narcissism may just be a
  • 00:10:18
    modern day Fancy by word for evil he
  • 00:10:23
    said that narcissism is another word for
  • 00:10:26
    evil Scott peek may have had a point but
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    evil should be contained and eradicated
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    not elevated to the position of the free
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    leader of the Free
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    World
Tags
  • Trump
  • Narcissism
  • Psychology
  • Politics
  • Frustration
  • Revolution
  • Collective Psychosis
  • Malignant Narcissism
  • Idealization
  • Democracy