By Seth Davin Norrholm, PhD and
David M. Reiss, M.D.
For the past several months, we have noted and written about the publicly observable psychopathology and dysfunction that the sitting President routinely exhibits in his behaviors, statements (aka Tweets), speeches, and policy decisions. For example, this President has consistently demonstrated the following:
· Narcissism and its associated impairments in empathy and relating to others
· Sadism
· Distortions of reality with regard to both factual descriptions of events and the chronology (order) of events
· Impairment in planning for the future or considering consequences of his actions beyond fulfilling his immediate needs
· Lack of accountability, responsibility, consistency, or self-awareness
· Immature use of longstanding or accepted strategies in planning and execution of policy
· Inability to react to criticism or problematic situations with more than a very limited, immature repertoire of responses (e.g., Boston police officers, departed strategist Steve Bannon, and Border Patrol officers have all been described as “tough and smart”; ill-formed policies or premature “off the cuff” statements will be further explained “in the next 2 weeks”; critical members of the media or business world are described as “weak” or “failing.”
Having observed Trump’s behaviors on the enormous, “bigger than life” public stages of the primary and general election campaigns and more recently as the 45th President of the United States, it is not difficult to conclude (for the mental health professional or armchair quarterback) that he is almost total lacking in honesty, the ability to exhibit sound and consistent judgment, and any considerations of justice, fairness, equity, or compassion (for examples one only need look to attempts at repealing and replacing Obamacare, treating a post-Hurricane Harvey visit to Texas as a photo-op rally, or most recently, rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (or DACA) immigration policy.)
Many of Trump’s critics have described the President as “unstable” in response to numerous behaviors and actions that have imperiled American citizens and his Presidency alike. While standing by our assertion that Trump is unfit for the duties and responsibilities required by the President, we would argue against the use of the term unstable generally speaking. There is significant evidence, accumulating over many years, demonstrating that with Trump “what you see is what you get.” He has always been self-serving, narcissistic, manipulative, punitive, vindictive, and without empathy and this is hardly a departure from the personality that Trump has exhibited to the public for decades. The reality is that his current position, its related stresses, and 24-hour coverage and scrutiny have made certain personality traits more prominent, problematic, and dangerous.
Senate Minority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer (D-NY) and the President discuss the debt ceiling and related topics during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, September 6, 2017. Following the meeting, the President was reportedly in high spirits and proceeded to call Democratic Congressional leaders the next day to discuss the positive press that their deal had garnered. This should serve as a lesson and a demonstration to Trump supporters and Republicans in general that “what you see is what you get” with Trump and he will chase the accolades regardless of any pre-existing or apparent alliances.
The American people, including those of us with well trained eyes, only have access to Trump’s public displays and these open-access behaviors could, potentially, obscure the presence of some mitigating traits that he may exhibit in private, or that “get lost” in the chaotic dysfunction of his public persona and behaviors. Further, to this end, there has been frequent talk of looking for “adults in the room” to contain, modify, or at least diffuse the danger of Trump’s dysfunction. This has certainly been the case at times including the August week during which an immature, petulant, and bellicose Trump Tweeted his way into an international (nuclear) war of words with fellow man-child North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The term “adults in the room” has typically been applied to persons who have been brought in from outside of Trump’s immediate orbit, such as Generals Mattis and Kelly. Initially, popular expectation, rumor, and/or hope was that first Daughter Ivanka Trump and first son-in-law, purported jack-of-all-trades, Jared Kushner might play a moderating role. However, Trump’s many missteps (including his response to the racially charged, Nazi-fueled, fatal events in Charlottesville, Virginia) have shown that Jared and Ivanka appear to have a minimally significant impact upon Trump and are not nearly as effective as the Generals when it comes to Presidential behaviors and decisions (and even the degree of control exerted by the Generals has been far from optimally effective).
It is entirely plausible that Ivanka and Jared have their own issues of immaturity (or criminality in the case of the latter) as well as a significant lack of expertise and knowledge regarding the issues that they were purportedly going to “moderate.”
Nonetheless, some of Trump’s behaviors, such as his recent dealings with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, as well as Ivanka evidently playing some role interceding or at least appearing at some meetings and events, suggests that perhaps even some of those in Trump’s immediate circle – and perhaps to a small degree, Trump himself – may have awareness of Trump’s weaknesses and limitations and may be using some strategies toward at least a slight modicum of containment – or at least more so than others in the administration who, whether aware or not, either do not have the power or courage to do anything more than to be sycophantic toadies.
An “Adolescent in the Room,” Ivanka Trump accompanied her “Daddy” on a trip to Mandan, North Dakota this week. Over the course of the eight month Presidency, Ivanka has adopted a “drop-in” strategy that may serve to: (1) soothe her father’s potential ego injury upon criticism, (2) represent an extension of Trump, his creation, arguably praiseworthy and more immune to criticism, (3) act as a convenient distraction in the face of paternal incompetence, and/or (4) serve as a security blanket of sorts.
This is not to suggest that Trump himself, Ivanka, or Kushner have a sophisticated appreciation of Trump’s pathology, weaknesses, or dangers or that they even perceive interventions as a form of responding to dysfunction. This may well simply be rather automatic “business as usual” in the Trumpian world with no self-awareness or insight; and Trump himself may well see any such interventions by Kushner or Ivanka as evidence of how “great” his “Team” performs – rather than effectively, a barely-more-than-futile attempt at babysitting a tremendously impaired POTUS.
Yet perhaps there does exist at least an inkling of awareness or insight and if so, this should encourage others in the administration that however meager, there may be a strategy for approaching Trump’s dangerous behavior that falls between (and far from) mature confrontation but at least might be more effective than obsequious, passive domination.
This still does not bode well for the Trump administration or for the country. This does not contradict solid arguments that Trump is Unfit to Serve. Of course, no one should be under the illusion that Trump will “pivot” or that there is any “intervention” than can infuse Trump with mature judgement or turn Trump into a trusted partner in governing.
But while it may be futile to expect “the adults in the room” to have significant power or ability to maneuver, if others in the administration develop the courage to do so, perhaps by providing some additional support for Trump accepting some form guidance from the (certainly poorly equipped, unqualified, and still quite immature) Adolescents in The Room, the catastrophic and dangerous practical consequences of Trump’s near infantile dysfunction can be reduced a smidgen.
About the Authors:
Seth Davin Norrholm, PhD is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine, a full-time faculty member in the Emory Neuroscience Graduate Program, and a member of the Emory Clinical Psychology Graduate Program. Dr. Norrholm has spent 20 years studying trauma-, stressor-, anxiety-, depressive-, and substance use-related disorders and has published over 85 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters. The primary objective of his work is to develop “bench-to-bedside” clinical research methods to inform therapeutic interventions for fear and anxiety-related disorders and how they relate to human factors such as personality, genetics, and environmental influences. His work receives funding from the Department of Defense, NATO, and the Brain and Behavior Foundation. Dr. Norrholm has been featured on NBC, ABC, CNN.com, USA Today, WebMD, POLITICO Magazine, Scientific American, and is a regular Contributor to The Huffington Post.
David M. Reiss, M.D. has been a practicing psychiatrist for more than 30 years, specializing in “front-line” adult and adolescent psychiatry. He has evaluated and treated over 12,000 persons of diverse social and cultural backgrounds, from every occupational field. Dr. Reiss has been recognized internationally for expertise in character and personality dynamics. He is often interviewed and quoted in the print, Internet and radio/TV media, nationally and internationally, to help the public understand the psychological aspects of current events. He is an authority on issues regarding social and political phenomena, medical and mental health treatment, PTSD, violence in society, and the functioning of the current mental health system.