2024

 During  my youth, I remember the hero of our Republic, and the GOP's support for Gen. Eisenhower. This man was the leader of the free world. He stood  for decency,humanity, the Constitution, democracy and so forth. His character was associated with integrity as he fought against the Nazis and fascism.  This year's presidential GOP does not have Eisenhower's qualities.  In this essay , I will incorporate my take on an article published in the October 20, 2024 The New York Times.  The arti cle is titled "In a Pennsylvania Swing County,  I Learned The Truth About American Politics in 2024 ."  The writer interviewed a number of individuals in a small Pennsylvania town about an hour and 1/2  drive from New York City.

Much has been written about  the family history of Trump, his grandfather and father regarding their attitude towards military service and in the pursuit of power, irrespective of the law. Further, Trump's six bankruptcies , sexual encounters  and his association with Jeffrey Epstein have been well documented. Also,  TV producer Mark Burnett, created a mythical portrayal of a billionaire businessman that captivated the public for many years.

During Trump’s presidency ,he was credited with being successful with his lies; tax cuts for the top 1%; packing the Supreme Court in order to overturn Roe versus Wade; and promoting tariffs  with China. He sucked up to Putin , the North Korean dictator and other  authoritarians.  He was impeached twice and told his followers that he was going to build a wall , Mexico was going to pay for it and he would clean up the border. He did neither,but  separated families in the process.  At the end of his presidency, he initiated an attack on the capital on January 6.

During this presidential campaign, he picked an authoritarian  bigot VP as running mate.  They lied about Haitians eating dogs and cats , he was going to deport millions, enact more tariffs with China , end the wars in the Middle East and between Russia and Ukraine ,save the economy,  punish his political enemies, reduce crime and be the great protector.

Numerous political Republicans warned that Trump is a threat to democracy and unfit to hold office.  John Kelly, a former Chief of Staff, went on record about Trump’s character and his being a threat to the Republic.  Many military generals also called him an unfit , threat to democracy and a fascist.  A couple of his family members , former attorney , co-authors and others have added the same. His numerous associates  involved in his January 6  are either serving time and/ or have been indicted for their criminal acts that he intends to pardon. 

With this being said, Trump  won the election with his lies, misinformation and  fearful hateful rhetoric . Homo sapiens . employ many ways to deal with  their anxiety, fear and threats to their ego.  For example, Anna Freud brilliantly.in”  The  Ego  And  The Mechanisms Of Defense “ described ,in detail, the manner in which individuals  attempt to protect themselves from various threats and distort reality  . 

 Individuals hold on to  cognitive  beliefs, attitudes and ideas that  they hold dear and form their sense of self . These dynamics  are significantly influenced by and  with models of  identification . Dissonant , contrary information and/or stimuli is a  threat to the ego resulting in fear, anxiety and tension that must be reduced and avoided because of its unpleasantness and irritation . This can occur both in thinking and action regardless of reality, illusion or fantasy. Note these are referred to as defense mechanisms. They have two characteristics in common. 1. They deny, falsify or distort reality. 2.They operate unconsciously so that the person is not aware of what is taking place.

Leon Festinger, one of Kurt Lewin.s students in this Field Theory   perspective , utilized tension as a motivating force.  In this model, epistemic behaviors that augment knowledge suggest that the seeking of knowledge  is important although  conceptual conflicts or incongruities can occur . It ‘s known that Individuals are motivated to seek agreement with others in terms of   attitude, opinions, and beliefs, within  their search for certainty .However,  when comparing or interacting  with another , a condition of discrepancy arises when information is not similar or the same resulting in a state of tension . The  tension state becomes motivational . The individual has a tendency to ignore and/ or seek information that is congruent and and reduces the tension 

 Festinger’s experiments suggest that one way to reduce the dissident state is to seek information that is consonant with their beliefs and to avoid information that is discrepant with their sense of self or their beliefs .In essence, Cognitive Dissonance gives rise to activity or activities  oriented in reducing or eliminating that unpleasantness.  Successful reduction of dissonance is rewarding and the individual is motivated to seek the reward.

Trump supporters have identified with him as their protector..  The responses from these individuals suggest that they have identified with Trump.  Identification ,psychologically, occurs  very early in human  development and associated within the  superego .Anxiety propels the young in the direction of searching for security, safety and well-being.- identification .  Throughout life, the identification process dynamics becomes repeated.  When one significantly identifies with that " protector" the individual takes on characteristics modeled.  These characteristics include believing in that protector  regardless of reality as well as agreeing  with  the words and actions despite inconsistencies, irrationality, lies and distortions of truth and reason. 

A few examples of defense mechanisms  from these individuals include projection, denial, rationalization,and reaction formation as well as cognitive dissonance in order to combat the lies, misinformation, and hateful rhetoric presented to them by Trump. Truth ,rationality, moral judgment was held in abeyance as it was dissonant with their leader.  His words became their words and actions .. 

1.  Marvin, age 84 said  "He's a shyster but I take him over her."  A projection Is emotionally unacceptable  to himself, and is rejected and attributed to others.”He'll block off the border."  2 . Natalie, age 37, stated "I detest him as a person, but he's the lesser of two evils."  A denial is  an emotional conflict that allays  anxiety by disavowing thoughts, feelings, wishes , needs or external reality factors that are consciously intolerable “ Politicians are easily bought. Trump has less motivation to do things for money because of his wealth." 3. The reporter stated that for those in defense of Trump, his serial lying , misogyny and romantic direction were irrelevant . They gave a range of explanations and rationalizations that do not align with any known reality.  4.  Gary, age 72, said, "I think it was a crowd that just got out of hand regarding January 6  and some of it was set up.  There were feds and the crowd was whipped up into a frenzy . Denial and a rationalization  In  which  the individual attempts to justify or make consciously tolerable by plausible means feelings, behavior motives that would otherwise be intolerable. He also said he viewed January 6, not as a national tragedy but as a partisan event.  It was a political show, a distraction from the whole Hunter Biden scandal. He gets his talking points from Fox News-cognitive dissonance .  5 John ,age 62 added.  How was it different from the police headquarters that burned down during the BLM protest."  5. The  reporter wrote that his followers were  not bothered by his constant denigration of women , immigrants and political opponents. And if he loses, it will be the fault of the Jews not having proper gratitude for much of what he's done.  The  reporter  also wrote  that the individuals were not concerned about the Covid-19 epidemic.  They wanted him to lower gas  and grocery prices and to close the southern border . The reporter went on to say that Trump supporters were not sick of him and that his character was not an issue at all. 6. Jon, age 62 -When Trump was president., gas was $ 2. 25 a gallon and now it's four dollars for midgrade . When Trump says drill baby drill, I'm okay with that." His wife said that Trump has a history of using language that degenerates women . She has no concern about his rhetoric.  She said I'm a big believer in getting treatment you allow people to give you.  I know what men mean when they get together.  They speak like men . 7. John, age 72 said that Harris clearly spent more time preparing and rehearsing for that  debate event, but it's not a quality you want for president.  She practiced and  Trump didn't.  And you could tell that the moderators were out to get him."  He also said that he accepts the fact that the rich play by different rules, and every rich businessman goes bankrupt. Reaction formation  are attitudes and behavior adopted  that are the opposite of impulses the individual harbors, either consciously or unconsciously    8.  Another individual who did not give his name said that Trump wants to curb big business and that's because it's good for all of us. 9. Several of his supporters said that former Pres. Bill Clinton sexual encounters with the 21-year-old intern in the Oval Office may have caused more damage to the institution of the presidency than the Democrats are willing to acknowledge.

In sum, mechanisms of defense, per A Psychiatric Glossary associated with anxiety and  protection, as in the denial of reality , rationalizing , projecting and  reaction  formation  were apparent as well as cognitive dissonance. These dynamics play a  significant part and assists in combating and creating the distortion ,  misinformation, mythology and illusion surrounding their leader. In other words, not “ wanting”  all the facts ,distorting  the facts cognitively and supporting the ill treatment of others is ok even if these behaviors are associated with moral, ethical and legal failings of the leader .It's not a matter of truth, reason, rationality, but instead being like the children in the  Pied Piper fable. One goes along and becomes a good follower.The truth becomes irrelevant and non applicable . And, Donald is no Ike.

PS

Linda and I just celebrated with Pat and Mike on his 89 th.

The Malicious GOP

 

Healthcare in the United States is both pertinent and personal  based on the following: 1.  Recently, Linda was s een in the emergency room  hospital in Auburn.  Then , a private ambulance transported her to a critical care unit hospital in Modesto. The bill was $ 332 over Medicare and 0 dollars paid by the supplement . After a number of  hospital days, she was admitted to a rehab hospital in Sacramento. The grand total of that bill totaled $49,178 for eight days.She was also seen by an orthopedic surgeon. She did not require surgery but wound care. Upon returning home, she is being seen by the nurse and physical therapist.  2.  I received a letter from Anthem Blue Cross, my Medicare supplement.  They wanted to know if I like the plan that I have.  The rates are outrageous,  more than my Medicare payment and  only minimally cover what Medicare covers. There is a plethora of TV  advertising regarding so-called Medicare supplement Advantage plans.  However, the only advantage is to the insurance companies.  3. The New York Times article dated October 13, 2024 titled "Resistance to Public Health, No Longer Fringe, Gains Foothold in GOP Politics.  This disposition pertains to US healthcare.

Over  many years there has been negative publicity and propaganda against universal healthcare.  It ‘s stated that there are long waiting lines , it takes too long for certain procedures and that our healthcare system is superb.  Recent statistics regarding the ranking of healthcare in countries present a different picture. In the 2024 ranking of countries ,  the US healthcare system was not included in the top 20 healthiest  in the world.  Americans ,no matter what state they live  in, die younger than people in the 29 top  countries.  The cost of not receiving  health care ,insurance disputes,  and affordability of healthcare services  affect outcomes.  The US healthcare system from a global perspective has accelerating spending and worsening outcomes. 

A study by the Commonwealth Fund evaluated the healthcare of 10 countries that included Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the US.  The researchers looked at the following five intervening variables: 1.  Care process - the acquisition of primary care practices , health systems and private equity investors 2 Access to Care -  affordability, availability of health services 3 .  Administration Efficiency -doctors dealing with insurance, medical claim issues, reporting to, government agencies, patient time resolving medical bill discrepancies.  4.  Equity - people above and below average incomes , access to healthcare and healthcare experience 5.  Health outcomes -  life expectancy, behavioral choices related to health,  preventability of excess deaths.

The findings from this study found that the percentage of the healthcare spending of the US ranked number one and we had the worst overall performance from 1980 to 2023.  The US had the shortest life expectancy with the most avoidable deaths.  The US underperforms in the healthcare sector as nine other countries have found a way to provide  better  health care while meeting the most basic healthcare needs  with  universal coverage.

Linda has received many EOBs  from  Medicare for healthcare services.  They are complicated, seem arbitrary with medical costs based on some actuarial statistics.  Linda also received a letter from one  party wanting to know if she was involved in an automobile accident.  Numerous calls,waiting for someone to answer  resulted in no  response at all.  Finally, an email resulted in a phone conversation.  The person on the other end said to ignore the letter since they've updated.  According to the home healthcare nurse, “ wound care expertise is not in the orthopedic surgeons wheel house. “  Linda's wound requires her to put no weight bearing on her left leg.  She forgets and that interferes with the healing process. I asked the  ortho doctor if the boot that she initially wore would help with healing.  He agreed and she's wearing the boot again.

The New York Times article was about resistance to Public Health and crazy ideas such as vaccinations are bad and the possibility that the Kennedy Jr. nut case is going to have an  important position in Trump's administration.  The idea that's taking hold is that individuals  should be able to make health decisions regarding their kids, Irrespective of medical advice. 

I remember the Covid-  19 debacle under Trump.  He and his cronies silenced Anthony Fauci and the  CDC regarding  disease prevention.  These idiots did not want to mask up nor receive vaccinations.  A whole host of nonsensical products were promoted by  Trump and his lunatics.  Yes,  a million people died from the disease and the hospital system was pushed to its limits.  If you're alone on a desert island, and don't want to receive medical treatment, that's okay. However, In a society, one's  behavior affects others.  Another example of the craziness is parents not wanting to vaccinate their young children,while sending them to school anyway.  You have permission to be crazy, self defeating  and harm yourself but don't tread on me .

Health in the United States is  not influenced primarily by genetics but by behavioral choices.  There are health care issues that are compromised with unintended consequences  that are related to driving practices, alcohol, drug, work-related, all types of sporting behaviors, eating abuse, nonexercise, gun deaths,  not following medical advice and person-to-person interaction.

Who  benefits from mental and physical illness and health in  our country ?  There is a  profit correlation. In our capitalistic system it is about profits.  Healthcare is being taken over by Wall Street private equity investors .  The investors are concerned and place  profits above everything else within  the complexity of the healthcare complex . Controlling nonmedical oriented individuals are  driven by profit.  The GOP supports capitalism, corporations with private equity as its mission.  It's no wonder that many billionaires support the GOP policies.  Just think of all the benefactors such as the food industry, drug and supplement industry , insurance companies, physical fitness establishments, clothing, healthcare equipment , medical devices, products and accessories , number of people employed credentialed and not  that benefit from this enormous health- illness industry. 

 According to the 2024  federal budget, health accounts for 14% ,Medicare  13%  and veterans benefits are at 5%.  On the other hand, what if we looked at profits from all related systems associated with health, illness and death? Ill health is important to our economy, says the GOP. They still do not support Obama's Affordable Care plan, are against lower drug costs , reducing Medicare age eligibility,increasing minimum  age, overturning Roe vs Wade - not allowing women medical treatment  , promoting crazy health ideas, polluting the environment, and  especially  clean water . The malicious GOP is hazardous to your health.

Need for Affection

  A New York Times article titled "Churches Near Dallas Abound.  So Do Their Pastors Scandals"  received my attention for this week's post.  One question, "Why would pastors  state things like "We don't have to worry about any sexual skeletons in our closet coming from the past and  She’s the only woman I've ever been with.  And I'm the only man she's ever been with in the biblical sense"  simply lie ? What does this say about their character and the followers they fooled and need for affection ?  This disposition provides one explanation.

According to the article, the Dallas Fort Worth region is home to more than 6,500 houses of worship,  with the highest concentration in the top 10 largest urban regions in the country......  Four are ranked in the 20 largest churches in the country   These great numbers of Protestant churches suggest a significant following.  Within this group of churches pastors have tremendous  charisma appeal.  In fact, one of these pastors was a one time faith advisor in Trump's administration.

With a great number of different churches, there's a tremendous competition for church membership and the marketing appeal suggests that the personality of the pastor is on display for recruitment.  In other words, there's power, prestige and status among these biblical leaders . They are extremely popular.  Why would  over 17 pastors risk shame , humiliation, loss of job, and potentially loss of marriage partner  at risk?  Is it a matter of rational thinking, failing marriage and/or moral failings?  Noteworthy among the sex scandal,have been sexual abuse with minors.

In previous essays, the ego needs of dependency, affiliation, abasement, sex  along with anxiety has been addressed.  Related to the above is the ego's need for affection.  Affection is defined as a feeling of liking for a person or place , feelings  or love, persuading someone to love you and attachment.  How does this motive supersede logic, rationality, oath, moral teachings?   Most   individuals want to give and receive affection.  The problem exists and can be identified when the ego need of affection is based on requiring reassurance for being liked , admired and expressed as an illusion of loving or pandering for loyalty  .A number of historical and fictional characters come to mind, including Trump..  

Samson and Delilah; Marc Antony and Cleopatrc; Abelard and Heloise; Romeo and Juliet; Don Quixote; Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara and of course Trump. Donald J Trump has been married three times; appeared with Howard Stern;  had affairs with Stormy and Karen  the Playboy model  while Milania was pregnant and  recently spoke about Arnold Palmer's genitalia for about 10 minutes at one  of his presentations.These limited examples are not illustrations of  his affectionate needs not being met 

The neurotic need for affection is behavior that's compulsive and ongoing.  It's a necessity, the person seeks happiness , security, being liked and admired .  Kamala Harris ,at the debate ,talked about crowd size with people  leaving before he was finished. For him, that was  threatening to his inflated narcissism-  sense of self. Were people leaving because of and the fear of not being liked?  Early on he bragged , misled and distorted the crowd size of his inauguration.  He claimed that he had a larger crowd size than Barack Obama.  He   distorted reality by lying  as pictures demonstrated.  It was not AI, it was factual that he had a smaller group than Barack Obama. They liked Obama better is a stressful reality that  he denied.

Kamala Harris and others exposed the anxiety, the insecurity of Trump's neurotic need to be liked when members in his cabinet reported that foreign authoritarian leaders easily manipulated him with their flattery.  Trump's neurotic  need for affection means being liked, being admired and especially loyalty. The translation  means that they love him.  Any time someone becomes irritated and puts down his policies, he calls them vermin, rapists ,enemy within, etc.,  They are the enemy and must be punished for disliking him.

When threatened, being disliked and not being loyal tends to result in reactive hostility.  He has to protect himself against the anxiety and one way is to be loved.  Is he admired because of his success, power, and possession ?.  He believes that his success in power, possession  and status makes him  desirable and that this enables him to  get away with inappropriate behaviors i.e. E J Caroll ,the TV interviews and Howard Stern radio shows.

Feelings of being loved, appreciated  and having succeeded in influence might be satisfactory for some ,but  not for Trump. He’still remains insecure.  In fact, his behaviors have put him in legal jeopardy.  He claims he wants loyalty ( for him, loyalty means some combination  of being loved, liked , respected )..

 Trump wants to be "loved" the way the German generals “loved “ Hitler. Does Trump also love the fact that about 14 million people died in World War II? He cannot understand why so many of his cabinet  members , marriages,  friendships and love affairs have  not provided him with  relief, security or satisfaction.   Trump  panders excessively: 1.He tells his followers that he loves them 2. Wrote love letters to North Korean dictator Kim.3.Said there were good Charlottesville thugs 4. Told the Proud Boys  to standby 5.Stated the January 6 rioters were patriots 6. Mentioned that Hitler did some good things. 7. He’s thinking about eliminating federal income taxes . However, these expressions are only the illusions of love as he is incapable of loving others. His words are hollow and mean nothing of the kind..  It's his way of “securing “ the irrationality of love. Trump's quest for love is not an expression of a positive attitude toward others.  Pandering is a trait that he’s mastered. It's based on  a fear that he will lose the support of others which would be disastrous to his being . It’s also used as  an  expectation to get the other under his control .Moreover, he  can't stand  the fact that Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and other celebrities are against him.  Are they too the enemy within?

In conclusion, those 17+ Protestant pastors were rightly fired for their sexual impropriety, suggesting appropriate standard, consequences, and likely approved by their churchgoers.  On the other hand, Donald J Trump exhibits another set of standards .Trump, the false Messiah , lies, steals, cheats , commits adultery  and covets resembling the antiChrist . Should  the significant Trump followers adhere to his words, attitude  or behavior or Christs’ ? And if Trump ,are they Christians  ?  Despite receiving "unconditional love “from so many, Trump remains  fearful , angry ,hateful  and neurotic.  His theme song could easily be "I can't get no satisfaction  .  I can't get no satisfaction because I try and I try and I try and I try I can't get no, I can't get no ."

It's Motivation

 Motivation has been an interest for most of my life.  Understanding and figuring out why we do what we do is enlightening .  Machiavelli was credited for his insights about seven centuries ago. He  believed that the” leaders “ or rulers were primarily  motivated to gain power by egoism and that one major motive used in manipulating and controlling the populace was fear.  That dynamic continues today.  This disquisition  applies fear, anxiety, dependence and aggression to the politics of Trump . 

Roughly hundred years ago Sigmund Freud identified and cited civilizations three major components associated with fear and anxiety.  First, a component was the power and ravages of nature as evidenced by humans being unable to control hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, fire, and so forth.  The second component was related to the aging body  diseases, infections and injuries.  The third component was  the result of people interacting with people.

For troubled individuals , we have a number of different  Anxiety Disorders.  For instance, we have agoraphobia, social phobia, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder , obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder,  and atypical  anxiety disorder diagnostic categories.  A few  of the symptoms of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder include 1.  Motor tension, shakiness ,jittering , jumpiness , tension, muscle aches , fatigue  and inability to relax 2.  Autonomic hyperactivity, sweating, heart pounding, cold clammy hands, dry mouth, dizziness,and lightheadedness 3.  Apprehensive expectation, anxiety, worry, fear, rumination, anticipation of misfortune to self or others.  4 Vigilance: difficulty concentrating, insomnia, feeling on edge.  Irritability and patience.

 Sigmund Freud and  Otto Rank  theorized, identified and described the impact of fear and anxiety beginning with  birth . And  that this powerful psychological experience  of fea, anxiety and separation  becomes the prototype and remains with the individual throughout life  The womb and birth canal was seen as a receptacle for protection.  Birth was a disruption, ejection  and separation resulting in a homeostasis imbalance with increasing stimuli, respiration and other physiological changes. These stressful physiological changes occurring -  fear, anxiety became the initial  basis for future ” terror  experiences for humans “ Simply put , psychology ,the mother figure,  the mothering  nurturing , caring, loving,  protection component assists and  diminishes that fear and anxiety .That  initial nurturing behavior results in seeking a union for safety, comfort and protection .  As a result, the importance and significance of the ego need of  dependency  and affiliation has been established. Simply,separation ,fear , anxiety and dependency becomes a repeated theme throughout lifetime.Separation anxiety occurs in  the feeding process - weaning , mother physically  leaving, etc. In other words, separation, fear , anxiety and dependency are prevalent and play a significant  part of the  motivational psychology  for mankind..  

Motivation has been a major interest in psychology .Briefly,thanks to  Freudian or psychoanalytic influence, there has been an inordinate amount of research in both the study of anxiety as it relates to dependency and aggression . In a non deprivation condition in children, researchers reported that anxious subjects were more suggestible and more easily conditioned than non-anxious children.  Schachter  found in his experiments  the relationship of affiliative behavior to anxiety  with female college subjects.: 1, anxiety leads to affiliative behavior 2. anxious subjects tended to an extent greater than low anxiety cases to rather be with others under either silence or irrelevant talk conditions . These findings suggest the motivational power  and influence of  fear, anxiety as it relates to dependency. Individuals have varying degrees of  anxiety when being  alone or separate from others.  As a result, the motivation for attachment affiliation remains unparalleled in man's search for protection, safety and comfort irrespective of the mental health of the other.

Neo-Freudian Karen Horney brilliantly described the anxiety and hostility relationship .  She suggested that  any impulse  or impulses - for power, prestige, status , affection, hate, lying - has the  potential and tendency to provoke anxiety. However, especially hostile impulses are dangerously associated with causing anxiety .  Horney  added that  neuroses  are related to hostile impulses  and that the repression of hostility  means pretending , denying ,rationalizing  that everything is alright when it’s not..It is unfortunately a  refrain from fighting,and/or acknowledging the impulse . With repression the individual becomes defensive and reinforces an already given feeling of defenselessness and powerlessness which ,in fact, contributes to the development of  neurosis. Horney  also acknowledged that when feeling being threatened, it provokes a reactive hostility in defense.

Briefly , another  theory of aggression is the frustration- aggression hypothesis. This hypothesis states that aggression always occurs because of frustration and that frustration can lead to aggression. Feeling frustration suggests discomfort ,tension or anxiety. In other words, simply put , anxiety is a factor with both dependency and aggression

Applying fear, anxiety, dependency and aggression brings us to the 2024 presidential election.  It's clear that Trump and his political sycophants employ motivation of fear and anxiety by telling their  loyalists how bad things are and who's to blame-immigrants, etc.  He also tells them that he's going to protect them from all the evil .Moreover,  he states that he's being attacked , the election was stolen from him and he's being unfairly treated legally- witch hunted . So now, the followers internalize that their savior was threatened, which means they are being threatened and vulnerable as well. They have a patriotic right and they are going to fix the wrong doing through aggression.  Trump then boasts that only  himself can wipe out evil and protect them from all the bad guys. - with their patriotism  Some of the fiction :1.  The "wall"  keeps out all the thugs, rapists and drug dealers coming to our Republic  2.  The tariffs  protect American consumers.  3.  Tax cuts for the 1%  trickles down and helps American consumers.  4.  Abortion is dangerous, and is contrary to Christianity.  5.  Book banning and controlling what is taught protects the feelings of children 6.  Attacking judges, prosecutors, poll workers  LGBTQ and Democrats are  the enemies of  Trump and democracy 7.  Christmas and believing in a certain God is righteous and anyone professing any other belief is evil and dangerous.8 Those attacking the capital on January 6 were loving and patriotic.  9.  Violence, hate, anti-Semitism is warranted and permissible because society is being taken over by undesirables. 10  Kamala is not smart enough to be president, 11. Trump can protect them from the liberals, liberal cities and outsiders  12..  The military will  go after all the unfaithful.  13.  The Biden  administration gives FEMA aid to immigrants, who are vermin and not to the hurricane victims .

In summation, fear and anxiety are associated with dependency and aggression .  Dependency is a protection and safety against the terror of being alone and being unable to defend oneself.  Dependency also leads to looking for that special identification figure who  promises to protect.  The protector also gives permission  to scapegoat for the expression of aggression against all the enemies.  This  old playbook that has been used over the centuries and continues to  be effective because of the nature of human beings. We are born fearful and anxious and deal with our stress primarily with  dependency behaviors.  Politically,this dynamic becomes a major threat to the well-being of many in our Republic . Henrik Ibsen's Enemy of the People fits .  Trump's character is similar in that he is a pathological liar and suppresses  the truth. He reinforces the  collective ignorance of his followers with his desire for  corruption and power.  Beware , history repeats because man is man

References

Cofer,C. N.  And Appley,H. M. . Motivation Theory and Research.

Horney, Karen .  The Neurotic Personality of Our Time.

It's Character

 My disquisitions are triggered by something I've read, heard or an idea that I have pondered over time. Today's disquisition was selected in part from last week's focus on persona and character orientation and a recent conversation with Linda’s  son Buck.  Buck is 62 years of age.  I told him when I was 62 I ran Western States 100 .He replied defensively. In another conversation with him.I mentioned  that I was an age division winner  in that event and he congratulated  me. This disquisition incorporates  persona and character orientation.  

In my late 50s I discovered Ride and Tie; was finalizing a  divorce; retiring  from clinical practice and moved to the foothills.  In my 60s, my orientation, mask or persona  noticeably seen was primarily  athletic competitiveness. In fact, one of the reasons that I moved to the foothills had to do with my Ride and Tie friends. At age 60 , I began a concerted effort on equine endurance , running and ride and tie competitions. With the help of Tom C., Tony B.  and Michael S., I focused on endurance competitions with the main goal being Tevis..In 2000,  at Tevis, there were a host of ride and tie competitors  including Tom C. Tony B. Michael  S. Chris T. Becky S, Warren H and others .  I started off the ride with Michael S. and then for the last 40 to 50 miles rode with Warren H. Warren ,at the time, was one of 3 that finished Tevis,  Western States100 and  the Swanton 100 Ride and Tie . 

After completing Tevis,  I now focused on the Western States 100. A number of Ride and tie competitors have won that event . My significant running comrades included Linda R.  Bill J, Chris T ,  Bob E.,  Jerome B.  Chuck M .  William E. and others.    In 2001, I qualified for the race by running the  Helen Klein 50 . Later, I  was selected in the lottery and completed that run.. Standing in line receiving my completion award, I was  pleasantly surprised when race director Greg S presented me with an age division award.

Linda R.  Chris T.  Bill J and Steve  R were nice running associates at the time.  Linda R was the most valuable resource that year.  In fact, Bill J, one of my pacers, told me that she was just a little bit ahead of me at about the 85th mile marker.  At the 96 th mile marker,  pacer Jerome B said let's pick off these runners ahead and we did.  About a mile from the finishing line at Robie point, I had a number of my friends  greeting me that included my sister Bev,Tony , Debbie, Marisa, and  Bob E.   Bob E  said stop the lollygagging , let's get moving.

My third goal was to complete the Swanton Pacific 100 mile Ride and Tie.  I developed a significant and meaningful relationship with dear friend Jonathan J.  Jonathan was a defense attorney living near San Diego .  Gypsy was our  horse for that event.  I'm 68. Jonathan is significantly younger and a terrific competitor.  We won that event.  Currently , because of Warren’s passing, only three of us are still alive to have completed those 3 events. However, I’m the  only one to do so while in their 60’s .

Going into my 70s, I dealt with broken  neck bones after coming off of Gypsy during  a conditioning ride and didn't want to become like Christopher Reeve .  I retired from equestrian events, but still continued running athletic events.  I ran  many 50 K's,  won many awards and often was the oldest competitor in the race. Tony got tired of seeing so many of my awards on the floor that he built me a medal rack to hang the awards .

I had a lot of fun running with Tony.  We ran at least three times a week, with our Border Collies , Dale and Sherry.  We traveled all over the state of California running in various events.  We stayed at the residences  of Steve S and George H in Santa Cruz, Carrie B.  In Tiburon ;  and others that included Beverly  B.  in Marin ,, Pat and Mike at Donner Lake, Bill and Gwen in San Ramon , with Elaine , my  former son-in-law’s mother  and with Tony’s sister Penny in Malibu -Jonathan joined us for that event. We also stayed with a friend that Linda and I met in Loreto,Mexico whale watching who lived in the Oakland hills.  I  told Tony that we would stay with Tom Brady and Gisele in Atherton only if Tom was throwing a football somewhere else.. 

 Tony and I ran many local races such as Way Too Cool, Salmon Falls  and Jed Smith 50 milers and 50 K's. On  one Jed Smith run, Mark R was going  to set an American 50 mile record run in his age group.  Mark passed us a number of times. Tony and I assessed his stride while laughing.  At that event.,Mark introduced us to Megan  A\, a world-class runner, and the new Western States  race director Craig T. Mark R and I have a couple things in common.  Aside from ride and tie, we were both winners in the Cool Ride and Tie  that Linda and I hosted. Also, We were both age division winners in Western  States in 2002.  Mark finished ahead of me in third place.that year..

Over those years.  I had many pacers that included Chris T, Randall H.  Sue S and Matt.  A most important event that  followed certain races included going for ice cream at Baskin-Robbins in El Dorado Hills and Ghirardelli  in.Lathrop. 

Also in my 70s, I bought a computer, had an  email address thanks to Tony, and produced  a  TV show with Tony . We interviewed numerous exceptional athletic individuals.  These interviews can be found on YouTube.  The link is https://youtube.com/@frank95614?si=4fzFpUdKj3JfXLE5. I  also  wrote two books, made presentations in Chautauqua , had book signings etc.I Interviewed terrific individuals who were 65 years or older that were still competing in unique extreme sports in s“It  Has Nothing To Do With Age.”.  Sad to say, I've attended a few of those friends' funerals as well. I also started writing weekly essays on subjects pertaining to health, psychology,  competition,  current political issues etc..  As a result, these activities were noticeable as my cognitive  mask incorporated executive ego functioning . I listened to my father when he said “ use your brain , not your back .”  Being intellectually curious and writing about subjects that are interesting to me, is a passion  .

In addition to my athletic and cognitive masks, I now wear the  noticeably seen mask of nurturance . in my 80’s , Covid -19 dominated and the  American population was put on the defensive to wear a protective mask or not; to vaccinate or not   Linda and I had no trouble wearing a mask and made sure to get our vaccinations and booster shots on a regular basis.  The implications were apparent to me despite all the craziness of remedies put forth by Trump . I had a conversation during this period with a neighbor who told me that he almost died, but would still not wear a mask or receive any vaccine because he was now  immunized.

Also, Linda's symptoms of Hydrocephalus dementia became more apparent.  I assist her daily, helping to maintain memory with a number of strategies.  I have a few ideas to deal and combat the progressive disease of memory loss.that do not include Prevagen . Last December , she broke her hip ,assisted her along with nurses,and physical therapists as she regained her strength and mobility.She was physically fit and we began playing pickleball again.

I came up with the brilliant idea to purchase a golf cart so that she could follow me on my daily runs.  For two months , we did just that.  Last month  she displaced both sides of her ankle when the golf cart tipped over, trapping her underneath.  Although still wheelchair-bound, she has now begun driving the golf cart again.  My goal is to keep her off her left leg as much as possible so she can heal as quickly as possible.  So far she is healing.

The philosophical question "who am I?"  has intrigued me for many years.  Psychologically, the answer doesn't lie simply in one's profession.  It's  about character.  It's true that we present a persona in so many settings with so many others.  For me, my masks include  competitiveness,  cognitive executive productive rational ego functioning, with superego qualities of nurturance . These qualities   have been present my entire life and describe my  character. Note, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  Dad was an undefeated  president in union elections over 20 years.  Mom was competitive and  had difficulty finding people to play her  in the game of Scrabble.  Dad was extremely intelligent,  and had a tremendous way with words while making points.  Mom was also intelligent with a terrific memory . She typed  a draft of my dissertation. Dad was nurturing in fighting for the rights of all the workers, I was amazed to hear about  all of his accomplishments at one of his retirement dinners.. He attended my football  practices , games and headed a  litigation team  when our football team was disqualified from playing in the championship game.  Mom  nurtured  her  children and  was a lovely caring  woman .In fact ,our cousins told me   that she was their favorite aunt.

PS

There is a 50 mile American River equestrian ride and a  separate 50 mile American River Trail run.  I have the record for the most completions for this combination.I admit that in my 60s and 70s, I had more fun than presently. Too many friends have passed.  In part, it has something to do with age. 

Masks & Character Orientations

 

This essay has to do with Trump's behavior.  Insights and descriptions from Jung, Freud ,Fromm, Leon Festinger and research by Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo  utilizing concepts from Analytic Theory, Psychoanalytic Theory, Neo-Freudian Theory, Field Theory and Social Psychology are pertinent . These concepts include Persona ,Identification, Exploitative and Marketing Character, obedience to authority and cognitive dissonance. Utilizing these few concepts describes part of Trump's  story .  

In Carl Jung' s Analytic Theory, this  man wrote about many aspects of man's motivations. One idea was related to archetypes  which are significant behavior patterns that characterize man.  One of his archetypes that he Identified was called the Persona. Briefly , this archetype is a” mask” that represents behavior patterns of man's ego needs.  The purpose of the persona is to make a definite  impression on others. Man utilizes many masks . For example, there could be one mask pertaining to the seduction of Malinia and another mask related to Authoritarianism like lying about the 2020 election  In other words, when relating ,one’s  behavior is based on  ego needs. Jung went on to explain that a mask often conceals man’s real nature.

Briefly, Fromm viewed man's motivation in terms of character or character traits that differs from Jung's concept of persona.  According to Fromm, " The process of living man relates himself to the world (1) by acquiring and simulating things and (2) by relating himself to people and himself.  Simply put, man's character orientations are relatively permanent as he relates himself to the world and they constitute the core of his character in forms of energy that are channeled during the assimilation and socialization process.  A simplified  description of the Exploitative and Marketing orientations follow.

In the Exploitative orientation,  the source of good is whatever the individual wants to get must be acquired as in Trump’s quest to retain the power of the presidency.  He takes from others,by force, as in the January 6 attack on the capital by the mob ; by cunning fake elector schemes; calling the election fraudulent ; phoning the Georgia official for more votes etc. Trump is attracted to people whom he can exploit ,trick , or fool as in his group of loyalists that buy his products and contribute money.  In his campaigns, he tells the crowd that he loves them, knowing he can exploit them. Trump also makes biting remarks on others, which is a mixture of hostility and manipulation . Everyone is judged according to their usefulness to him . He refers to them as being loyal.  He is suspicious, cynical, envious and jealous per conspiracy theories and refers to news that he does  not like as fake..He follows conspiratory ideas and is jealous when others have larger crowd sizes .

In the Marketing orientation, Fromm suggested that the individual is essentially selling himself as a commodity of value on exchange and that he is  basically selling his personality . He  hopes his personality will be accepted by those that meet his ego needs  .The overriding concern is how well is the individual able to sell himself ,create a demand and that this aspect does not necessarily have to pertain to his intelligence, but to being liked and admired..  

Additionally, related to  persona and character formation is identification . Freud's concept of identification comes into play as the youngster incorporates personality, moral, ethical and behavior traits from his parents -more specifically in Trump's case, his father Fred. Fred was  dominant,  prejudicial , oppressive in his hatred  of Blacks, Jews and others.  He was ruthless and built his real estate fortune with manipulation, deceit  and disregarding  legality of rules.  Fred was a financial genius that adapted with the times and built his fortune through Authoritarian means. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. 

Essentially, the persona is actually an image of the self.  It's what we show to the world that's formed from our interests ,goals as well as identifying with persons of importance. Its purpose is an adaptation to living in this world or in Trump's case , the world of corruption .  Moreover, being an extrovert  Trump changes his persona into a charming, seductive, pleasant individual and/or his other mask can be a verbal attack as being in charge like the president, head of the business, and political rivals and so forth.  In other words, he’s adaptable and  his persona takes on different forms depending upon his ego needs . It's been reported that Trump kept a copy of Mein Kampf on the nightstand, which suggests that Trump has identified with Hitler.It’s like an exploitative and marketing  character orientation.

A few words about the marketing persona of Trump.  Early on, Trump's marketing mask was reinforced and furthered by making anonymous reports to The New York Times in order to perpetuate something positive about him such as his business acumen , brand or wealth.  He also appeared many times with Howard Stern and presented a Don Juan mask of his sexual prowess.  In business, he presented to the banks and the inflation of his assets to receive beneficial loans; he also tricked and deceived  developers and other financiers regarding his abilities . He created an illusion of  being highly successful in the development of his casinos and other properties.   

Trump utilized television as his greatest asset and projected his personality , wealth, power and status.  The Apprentice ran from 200 4-2217  and was created by Mark Burnett..  A slum-like portion of Trump Tower was remade, transformed into a luxurious TV set run by a” billionaire.” Trump was projected as a powerful entrepreneur  and head of the gigantic real estate empire.  He was presented as the most  powerful person who had ultimate control.  His personality was attractive to many, and he sold himself and his items through the power of television. Books like The Art of the Deal also presented the mask of a highly successful and skilled negotiator.  Later on, the co-author Tony Schwartz revealed an unflattering view of Trump.  Trump has been  most highly successful in marketing himself to the public.

 Turning to the loyalists, Stanley Milgram's experiments pertained to obedience to authority dressed in a white lab coat  Briefly, Milgram subjects believed they were providing electrical stimulation to an individual for incorrect responses,in a separate room.  Despite screams of being hurt, these people in control of presenting electoral stimulation proceeded.regardless of the “ pain” they believed to be causing  Obedience to an authority was demonstrated in a number of other of Milgram's research as a social psychologist at Yale University.These subjects wore the mask of obedience . We do not know if they had exploitive character orientations. On the other hand, many members of the Supreme Court covered their exploitative character orientations with a   mask of congeniality.

On the West Coast, at Stanford,  Phillip Zimbardo, in his classic prison study ,separated students into categories.  There were the "prison" guards and the inmates.  These bright, educated students played their parts well.  In fact, there was abuse, physical and emotional perpetuated on the inmates. The inmates experienced stress and had difficulty being a prisoner in his experiment.  In other words, the mask of being an authority with power allowed them to subjugate the powerlessness .Again, we do not know how many of these students had exploitative character orientations or , for that matter, the number of Trump’s tribe. .

Leon  Festinger  employed the Lewinian term of tension as a motivational force as it upsets the homeostasis' position of  balance.  Tension carries a negative valence and therefore the goal is to reduce that irritation, or unpleasantness. Therefore ,avoiding dissonant information and reduction of tension  is reinforcing.  The arousal of tension occurs and is related to one's self-concept, self consistency and  identification.  Once again, the goal is to reduce the tension or dissonance for emotional balance or to reach homeostasis.  An example follows.  Take the Trump sycophants that have an inflated image, belief , expectation and attitude pertaining to the positiveness and worship of Trump.  If that someone hears or reads on TV, cable, social media, that Trump's been bankrupt 6 times, criminally assaulted E .Jean Carol, lied about the 2020 election results ; instigated the January Capitol attack and so forth, that information creates arousal of tension or cognitive dissonance  The  motivational goal is to reduce that arousal of tension  or dissonance by turning off the TV, changing the channel,  rationalizing  the information and/or  searching for something positive regarding Trump in order to reduce and eliminate the tension or dissonance.

With cognitive dissonance, Trump's sycophants do not seek factual information but continue their quest for the irrational.  They maximize their behavior with information that's consistent or consonant with their  self-concept, attitude and belief system for their idol.  It's fruitless, unreasonable, and wasted energy to attempt to convince the Trump sycophant of the realities, and so they go on believing fiction like “building a wall “that Mexicos  paid for ; throwing out millions of immigrants ; packing the Supreme and Federal courts and tax cuts for the 1%. Trump is not only inept but is also a severely disturbed individual. Festinger’s research  and others have demonstrated the significance of tension  as a motivational concept. 

In summation, theoretical  and  research findings have contributed to a fuller understanding of man’s “craziness “. Historically, forces of nature; mortality,  disease , culture ,society and government have exposed man’s insecurity, helplessness , suggestibility and fickleness both in coping and surviving with  all life’s challenges. As a result , man continues to look to  a “father  figure “ in religion, government , social , anti social groups  fiction or false  messiahs in an attempt to mitigate the delimias, contradictions ,and irrationalities occurring  during one’s life span. 

Reference

Fromm, Erich .  Man for Himself   An Inquiry into the Psychology of Ethics

Dependency & Passive Aggressiveness

 We don't know for sure if sapiens replaced all previous human populations without merging with them. However, we do know that for the last 70,000 years or so,  sapiens have interacted with each other  in  a combination of three ways in varying degrees . Sapiens might withdraw from others, with the consequence of perhaps being alone,or loneliness .  Sapiens might move toward others, as in association,  unions, friendship ,or love as described in songs, novels, movies, and so forth.  Or ,sapiens might move against others aggressively as in war, murder, or harming physically ; emotionally  and passive -aggressively with lies, blaming, discriminating, oppressing, hate verbal aggression , dominating, and so forth.  This essay has to do with Trump ..

Historically, philosophers and others have described man's motivation in various ways. Man’s motivation has been attributed to the importance of knowledge, with emphasis on virtue and rationality in pursuing happiness; will and free will; hedonism, fear and love,  desires for pleasure and the avoidance of pain; and that society is to blame for its egoism because man is basically good. Later, Sigmund Freud's theory incorporated both the sex and aggressive or the destructive drive as main motivators.  Henry Murray  identified ego needs such as  affiliation,abasement aggression and dominance and Erich Fromm described varieties of aggression and destructiveness.  Freud, Murray and Fromm  and others have provided an in-depth description and understanding  for man treating man in sadistic and aggressive ways.  

A few current illustrations of inequality among men from articles found in the 2024 edition of The New York Times..  1.  When Tik Tok's Algorithm Turns Deadly.  2.  Workers Deserve So Much More Than America's  Unions 3.  Harris, Gaza, and the Voters She Leaves behind 4.  Will  A.  I. Save us or Kill Us First?  5.  The Strange Report Fueling The War on Trans Kids.  6.  Russia Punishes Those Who Seek the Truth.  7.  We're Taught to Hate Hypocrisy.  We Shouldn't.  8.  Models of Resistance 9.  After Police Kill Boy, Ethnic Refugee Groups Young Lead Quest for Answers 10.  Pure Evil.  The content in these  articles describe and illustrate man dominating, subjugating, discriminating, manipulating and oppressing others.

To understand man's nature, we start at the beginning. The infant erupts from the womb in  a state  of anxiety, helplessness and dependency .  At the start, we have an uneven , and unequal relationship as the infant is totally dependent on another.  Soon aggressiveness is displayed by the infant crying, kicking and biting during feeding.  The dynamics of dependency,  as well as  aggression,  are established  like being imprinted in the brain from the beginning .  The  dependent child quickly learns that  parents and  older siblings  have the upper hand irrespective of perceived fairness.  School is no different as the teacher or the smartest, cutest, most athletic also have the upper hand.  The child is almost in a slave- master relationship with the teacher, coach or principal .In other words, inequality between and among humans is established and reinforced during one's lifetime.  With aggression, the occurrence of rebellion, opposition, noncooperation, and saying no characterize interactions.

In the world of  work, there is the boss and various levels in the absence of equality.In relationships, there's unequalness.  In fact, at one time, wives were the property of the male .  Commandment  10 has to do with coveting another man's wife.  In other words, don't take his property.  Commandments 5-10 pertain to man treating man aggressively and passive aggressively as in honor of your mother and father.  In essence, men historically have treated his fellow man In unequal ways, with one being the master and the other the subject. 

We have to obey man-made laws or we encounter fines, police, courts, and/or jail.  How many rules or inspections occur when building a house?    In our  republic , we vote..  How well does the voter know about the candidate?  Does the candidate represent you or does he or she represent interest groups?  If elected, the main motivation for the candidate is to remain and stay elected.  However, with the present presidential election coming up., we know a lot about  the former president.

The former Pres. is no different than the rest of the population.  Everyone has dependency  and  passive-aggressive issues .Passive aggressiveness is characterized by aggressive behavior manifested in passive ways .

Passive aggressiveness was brilliantly described in Freud's psychoanalytic psychosexual description occurring in the Anal stage and in Erikson's psychosocial model of the crisis of autonomy.  Pop-culture has called it  the terrible twos, the expression of "no" and "I hate you."  It's as if there's a battle of wills with the parent over toilet training, eating certain foods and obeying.  It's a battle over independence.  Examples such as hiding food in a napkin and then putting it in the drawer; collecting pebbles at  the beach, wanting to take them home and then refusing to get in the car and walking home instead illustrate the battle and  conflict.  Other illustrations such as coming late to an appointment, forgetting, making mistakes,  not taking out the garbage,not  picking up one's clutter, leaving dishes in the sink, not doing one's homework are learned and reinforced because they are effective in  a  sense, since they are not physical but directed toward the controlling other.

Historically, Gandhi comes to mind.  His nonphysical, turning the cheek  despite violence perpetrated by the British were effective. His followers shut down railway system communication and production of salt.  The British Empire succumbed and India became independent.  As a result,  Gandhi was brilliant in the use of passive aggressiveness. Passive aggressiveness has been an effective response throughout history.

 Trump is dependent on people voting for him; the Supreme Court; the Congress; wealthy donors; lawyers; federal court judges; money; large crowd size ,Putin, Fox News,Musk ,filling his hotels and buying his products and other factors.  His passive aggressiveness is displayed with lies; misrepresentation of facts; bullying behavior against prosecutors, political types, journalists, election workers etc.; his threats to punish his enemy; failure to pay appropriate amount of taxes; retaining federal documents; reinforcing and directing mob action on January 6; threatening to  callout the National Guard;perpetuate fake electoral college electors; calling a Georgia official to find more votes as his behavior so exemplifies. Recently, he told a group of wealthy Jews that he could save Israel and then  later said if he loses the election, It's the fault ( lot to do) of  the Jews .  Factually, the Jewish population in the United States is about 2%.

A few examples of the “power” and control of freedom of the master, dictator and authoritarian include but not limited to: 1.  Eliminating the Presidential Commission 2.  Eliminating Roe Versus Wade 3.  Restricting teaching and book banning 4.  Quid pro quo -holding up Ukrainian military aid . 5.  Voting suppression 6.  Abusive treatment of women; not paying employees 7.  Bankrupt 6 times 8,  Tax breaks favoring the 1% 9.  Sabotaging bipartisan support for immigration reform. 10 . Refusing to participate in the second presidential debate with Kamala Harris.  11.   Supporting the 2025 playbook 12.  Employing Russia participation in 2016 election 13.  Endorsing right wing bigots14. Ignoring the Constitution 15. Not obeying the Rule of Law 16. Threatening  citizens 17. Control over the Justice Department and his tribe of followers

Freedom is an important issue that's facing the majority of individuals in our republic.  Many are pursuing and supporting the truth . Solving complex issues is hard, and difficult but not threatening  while others are looking to another to “protect”, which is a delusion and in the process reduce and limit their freedom..  Authoritarians are looking to protect, benefit  themselves and only themselves per history.  Their mission is not to protect but to rule. Do not forget Francis Scott Key’s ;last line. In 1814 he wrote  "O"er , land of the free and the home of the brave “ is pertinent as well as   The Pledge of Allegiance   I pledge  allegiance to the  flag and to the Republic  and not to Trump is also  central . as he is an indicted criminal and not  cognitively, emotionally or morally fit for office in our country  but maybe in Russia, China ,Hungary, Turkey, Iran or  North Korea.  Anyone want to follow him there? After 248 years, hopefully the Republic and Constitution will remain relevant.

PS

 Beneath the surface of this wealthy, business genius and Don Juan TV marketing persona, is a neurotic character and personality  with traits associated with the tendencies of dependency ,passive aggressiveness, narcissism. sociopathy of this insecure and troubled individual.