S3, Part 6, Walk & Talk: The Politician

The Subversive Therapist

For my psychotherapy patients, the structural analysis begins with an abstract example to get them thinking differently about themselves. The Politician is I’m OK, You’re Not OK. I explain this construct to the patient by using President Donald Trump as an example. The former President does not appear to have any relationships that are not based on his own egocentric self-promotion. The media’s pictorial of Trump is that he is a narcissist who borders on sociopathy and psychopathy: a histrionic egomaniac. He projects himself as The Boss. At the extreme, this personality structure acts out sadistically. Therefore, the Politician will prey on sexual objects (bodies) to “get off” or “score” (Bill Clinton?). The ultimate “win” is to dominate the Other sexually, i.e., be a “pussy grabber”. The cure is intimate bodily love, Other-care (as opposed to solely self-care), and a healthy orgasm, e.g., detach from ego rather than reinforce ego, i.e., via objectification of Other. This is what Erich Fromm referred to as the authoritarian character.

For Fromm (1941), the authoritarian character, was one who self-centeredly gravitates toward self-gratification, domination, exploitation, or, overall, to competitively “win” for oneself. The greed of the Politician comes in many forms: wealth, sex, physical attractiveness, status, and power. The form of want is never “enough,” i.e., a sense of lack, which perpetuates craving. As can be seen with people such as Bill Gates or Donald Trump, there is a danger in always getting what one wants. This personality structure of the Politician forces others to be dependent on them in order for them to use and manipulate the other for the sake of, “absolute and unrestricted power over them.” (Fromm, 1941) For the Politician, strength is rooted in the mastery of relationship, so the Other can be ruled. In general, the Politician can only love through domination because love can only be manifested through superiority and control. Love is for those who the Politician feels they have superior power over. (Fromm, 1941)

This social character is the embodiment of competition. The Politician will make counter points to Other’s expressions by saying things such as, “The reality is…,” meaning, “the way I see things is real, and the way you (or they) see things is not real.” This personality structure is trapped in egotistical ways of being, what the sociologist Émile Durkheim (1897) called the disease of the infinite or egotism. For the Politician, the Adult is contaminated by the Child who wants to acquire for oneself (Adapted Child). There is no conscience which is represented by an excluded Parent.

Americans understand that all Politicians lie and are only in the business of politics for the benefit of themselves. Exclusion is introduced here as the inability to cathect Parent ego state—having a conscience—which would involve nurturing, sentimentality, and empathy for Other (more on exclusion and contamination in the next chapter on meditation practice). For example, despite the illusions of a Barak Obama or Bill Clinton, a conscience is not a characteristic to be found, as they have facilitated the dropping of iron fragmentation bombs on innocent children and facilitated mass incarceration whereby men and women, mostly of color, are caged in worse ways than many animals. American prisons have “restrictive housing” measures, i.e., solitary confinement, unlike anywhere in the world.

Politicians in the U.S. are after the almighty dollar, which is the part of them that craves or wants, i.e., part of the Child ego state. For them, this part is “reality” as opposed to a rare possibility. Therefore, the Adult ego state, which is in accordance with the present reality, is contaminated by the desires of the Child, e.g., to have for oneself. The goal of the Politician is to commandingly protect and dominate within the system perceived as, “reality”. Personal possession, status, and power are the means and end for how to live, meaning there is no other focus outside of their own craving.

The Politician has adapted by analyzing and criticizing others, but not oneself. Michael Jordan in the Netflix documentary series, The Last Dance, represents the quintessential Politician personality structure. From the perspective of ideal marketing, Air Jordan was the apolitical, ahistorical self of Michael Jordan (persona) who constantly presented himself for monetary gain, e.g., Nike and McDonald’s advertisements.

Both professionally and personally, Michael Jordan perpetually needed to “win” at all costs. His methodology was constant, competitive analysis of the Other to dominate them. The brand of Michael Jordan avoided political activity and (arguably) did more in the 1990s to globalize the National Basketball Association (NBA) than anyone or any other entity. However, was Michael Jordan a nice person? Jordan was a decent human being in the McDonald’s or Nike commercials, but not with his teammates. Competition to “win” becomes “reality.”

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References

Fromm, E. (1941). Escape from freedom. Henry Holt and Company, LLC. New York, New York.