Narcissistic symbiosis, shared psychosis, grandiose omnipotence, “folie à millions,” delusions, etc. (see excerpt's from Lee's article below).
Concepts that I and my colleague Nancy Hartevelt Kobrin have been writing and speaking about for years. The reign of Donald Trump will produce great theoretical yield.
A crucial passage: "Delusions are more infectious than strategic lies, and so we see, from their sheer spread, that Trump likely truly believes them."
Yes, Trump believes his fantasies or delusions and this is what makes him popular. Hitler too believed deeply in his delusions, which were embraced by many people--and defined an entire society.
Lenin, Hitler, Stalin, Mao--entire societies built on shared delusions. Ideology as shared psychosis. Wow! A revolution in human thought.
Richard Koenigsberg
PS: As Howard Bloom likes to say, "I believe that they believe it, even though I find it very hard to believe that they believe it."
________________________________________________________________________________
What attracts people to Trump? What is their animus or driving force?
The reasons are multiple and varied, but in my recent public-service book, Profile of a Nation, I have outlined two major emotional drives: narcissistic symbiosis and shared psychosis. Narcissistic symbiosis refers to the developmental wounds that make the leader-follower relationship magnetically attractive. The leader, hungry for adulation to compensate for an inner lack of self-worth, projects grandiose omnipotence—while the followers, rendered needy by societal stress or developmental injury, yearn for a parental figure. When such wounded individuals are given positions of power, they arouse similar pathology in the population that creates a “lock and key” relationship.
“Shared psychosis”—which is also called “folie à millions” [“madness for millions”] when occurring at the national level or “induced delusions”—refers to the infectiousness of severe symptoms that goes beyond ordinary group psychology. When a highly symptomatic individual is placed in an influential position, the person’s symptoms can spread through the population through emotional bonds, heightening existing pathologies and inducing delusions, paranoia and propensity for violence—even in previously healthy individuals. The treatment is removal of exposure.