The Psychology of Trump Contagion: An Existential Threat to American Democracy and All Humankind, Chapter Nine

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Chapter Nine

Societal Disorder through an Unfit ‘Leader’

What does a world spiraling into madness feel like, in the absence of mental health help?  It resembles what we see today, where conspiracy theories abound and expand, and the foundations of society begin to crumble, while no one is explaining why this is happening or how to get out of it.  “Madness” is crucial to understand, for not only does it descend more easily on a society sick from corruption, deprivation, erosion of rights, extreme economic inequality, and racism and sexism, but it may be the latter’s chief weapon.  A society that has exhausted its ability to convince the public to act against its own interests now needs an even more powerful means—and spreading madness may indeed be a method.  This is the last chapter on the “Consequences” of Trump Contagion, before moving onto “Cures”.  In the previous three chapters, we covered the consequences of having a severely mentally-impaired person in a position of great authority.  Contagion from such a situation can lead to shared psychosis, where individuals may not have diagnosable conditions but as a group act as if they are losing their grip on reality.  Narcissistic and sociopathic symptoms, which are among the most contagious, can then lead to widespread exploitation of these vulnerabilities as well as widescale violence, oppression, and trauma bonding.  As with all contagions, a facilitating environment is necessary, as the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has been at the forefront of producing.  If the last chapter covered the contagion of corruption, to the point where institutions are no longer functional against a serious public threat, this chapter discusses the contagion of criminality, to the point of a society’s self-annihilation.  Here, we will explore the larger societal dangers that augment and accelerate contagion.  In the process, we will ask the question: how did our civilization become ripe for Trump Contagion, and where is it leading?  Only with thorough understanding of the problem can we begin to address solutions, or “Cures”, as we will cover in the next section.