How Trump's Narcissism controls and destabilizes

[Lacewing]

I came across the following article while looking for something else entirely. It intrigued me because I seek ways to understand what seems inexplicable. I like the way the author describes the techniques and effects of narcissism as it relates to Trump's political game. I've inserted excerpts (below the full article link) as a quick summary/overview for anyone else who might find this interesting.

I’m A Psychologist Who Specializes In Narcissists. Here’s What We Need To Do To Stop Trump.
"The same patterns that destabilize families destabilize democracies." by Jocelyn Sze (5/23/2025)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/psycholo ... 7e5013a586

Excerpts...

> The Trump administration is planning a June 14 military parade to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army — and the president’s 79th birthday. When your sense of self-exaltation requires tanks, flyovers and up to $45 million for a birthday party, we’re no longer in the realm of cake and candles — we’re squarely in Criterion 1 of narcissistic personality disorder: “a grandiose sense of self-importance.”

> When narcissistic control seeps into leadership, it distorts truth, erodes trust and destabilizes institutions. The more we understand these dynamics, the better we can protect both the public and the health of our democracy.

> Along with the magnetic vision of the grandiose narcissist come denial, attack, reversal of blame and emotional chaos.

> Narcissistic control in government thrives on flipping the script and silencing watchdogs.

> Authoritarian leaders rely on well-worn tactics to manufacture a psychological state of volatile uncertainty — where outcomes aren’t just unknown, but constantly shifting and unpredictable. This overwhelms the brain’s ability to anticipate and prepare, keeping people mentally off-balance and easier to control. The good news: Awareness works like a vaccine, gradually building psychological immunity against further harm.

> [Moving the goalposts] in government looks like constantly reversing policies or public positions so that citizens, the media and allies remain unmoored. Many dismiss these reversals as mere incompetence or poor strategy — and it’s true that narcissism is associated with more impulsive, error-prone decision-making. But anyone familiar with narcissistic abuse understands the deeper maneuver: Whether consciously or not, narcissists hold power by keeping others in a state of psychological whiplash. And it works.

> Aggressive versions that use confusion, despair and emotional bonds like loyalty to control how others think and feel, secure a constant flow of admiration or reactivity, shield themselves from shame and keep others attached — even against their best interests.

> Of the dizzying array of tactics, perhaps the most effective is crisis manufacturing. The constant emergencies aren’t flukes — they’re by design. They keep everyone in survival mode, distracting from deeper issues and ensuring the narcissist stays at the center of attention and control.

> The nervous system can only take so much. Fight (rage), flight (escape planning), freeze (paralysis), fawn (capitulation) and flop (hopelessness) are natural survival responses — but they also keep us stuck. Healing begins by recognizing when we’re trapped in these states and learning how to return to grounded, organized action.

> ...how this dynamic plays out in institutions... When law firms, universities or political bodies bend to powerful figures instead of upholding shared values, it mirrors what happens in abusive households: Everyone walks on eggshells. In such environments, self-protection becomes the priority, and choices are made not from alignment with values but from fear.

> Instead of spending precious bandwidth on disbelief or outrage, the goal is to name the tactic, call out the harm, cultivate trusted support and let go of what is beyond your control.

> Reactive efforts to clean up the damage often backfire, shielding narcissists from accountability and allowing them to retain influence. On a political level, this means pausing to strategize before rushing in to fix the narcissist’s mess. Strategic restraint — like that practiced by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has been criticized for not “swinging at every pitch” — is not weakness. It’s discipline.

> By using loopholes — like invoking 18th century wartime laws — to expand his power, Trump has exposed the weak spots in American democracy. As our founding documents remind us: “A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free People.” The Constitution is not just a legal structure — it’s psychological scaffolding against narcissistic control.

> Narcissistic abuse isn’t just dangerous and dysregulating — it feeds on the very distress and isolation it creates to sustain itself. To interrupt the cycle, we need practices that restore regulation and reinforce community power. Collective care and self-care are not luxuries — they are revolutionary acts in times of oppression. Rest is not retreat; it’s how we recover the clarity and cohesion needed to mobilize and rebuild.

> And above all, keep faith in the long game. While narcissistic dynamics rely on urgency and alarm, deep change comes from staying calm, clear and connected. In defending against narcissistic control, the answer is never to mimic harmful tactics — it is to recognize them, grieve their damage, stop enabling them and break out of reactivity. Boundaries, civic mobilization and long-haul strategy are how we begin to heal the democratic spirit. Healing begins the moment we stop reacting and start remembering who we are.

[Dubious]

All very well and good but there still remains a plethora of those still in favor of Trump. Look at the polls; they should, by now, be much lower based on the decrepit deficencies and stupidity of Trump's character and his clique.

As mentioned many times, Trump and his ilk are only symptoms of a major defect of something more perverse in the american character which many americans, who still remain in friendly communication with their brains, fully realize. Even if Trump is gone, that danger subsists. The current version of Manifest Destiny is akin to the distortion observed in the Picture of Dorian Gray. Even after Trump the U.S. will find it difficult to impossible to re-emerge with the same respect it once had among the nations of the West.

[Atla]

My current theory is that his low-to-average IQ, uneducated, macho Evangelical Christian supporters, many of whom who had a strict upbringing and developed fascistic tendencies because of that, see a macho saviour, leader in Trump. Then these people go on social media and discuss with each other how very awesome he is, social media helps them stand firm and united.

Well, and that the below-average-to-average person usually can't see cluster B personality disorders, such as Trump's NPD. The deadline for noticing Trump's NPD was maybe in early 2016, and now it's 2025.

[FlashDangerpants]

As mentioned many times, Trump and his ilk are only symptoms of a major defect of something more perverse in the american character which many americans, who still remain in friendly communication with their brains, fully realize. Even if Trump is gone, that danger subsists.

If they could pull this shit off without Trump, they would have already dumped him years ago.

[Lacewing]

I do not understand why anyone would believe (or take seriously) anything Trump says. He's like a virus... eventually destroying those who support or come in contact with him. The quest for power and identity-relevance must be so intoxicating for so many people to keep stepping up to have their heads lopped off. They will say or do anything to imagine themselves in positions of favor and power (ignoring the ravaged carcasses of those before them), and they think that they, themselves, are greater/different than the rest. Ah, the GLORY before realizing that they, too, are being fooled and destroyed by a clown.

I've just been reading about Identity fusion:

> Identity fusion is an opportunity to realign the sense of self. It creates new systems by which people can value themselves. In adopting the values of someone who appears to be powerful or important, you feel more in control.

> Rational discussion that challenges the views of someone whose identity is so fused with a collective or another is impossible.

> Identity fusion is not merely blind obedience to group expectations or submission out of fear, but something much more dangerous: it is not a bunch of individuals contorting their way of thinking, but a bunch of individuals suspending their way of thinking.

> Why do people who stridently oppose “big government” suddenly find themselves cheering on acts of “extreme authoritarianism”? Once you step into the fusion mind-set, you see no contradiction with values.

This is as insidiously false as it gets on so many levels.

[promethean75]

Because ya'll are still horizontal. That's why there's a president at all and that's why that monkey Trump is that president.