At an April 23, 2020 press
briefing, President Donald Trump mused about the possibility of using
“very powerful light” and injecting disinfectant into the body to
kill COVID-19 – a suggestion that, in the case of disinfectant, was
roundly criticized by experts as dangerous. A day later, he said he
was being “sarcastic.”
FactCheck.org
reports …
There’s no clear
indication in his remarks that Trump was joking, either in his
initial comment or when he returned to the topic later in the
briefing. The “injection of disinfectant” was one of a half-dozen
claims Trump has made amid the coronavirus outbreak that he later
falsely claimed (spinned) he had not said, some of which occurred
only minutes apart.
(Robert
Farley and Eugene Kiely. “The White House Spins Trump’s
Disinfectant Remarks.” FactCheck.org. April 24, 2020.)
Allow me to shed light on
denial as a defense mechanism as it is employed during a
confrontation with a personal problem or with reality.
The concept of denial was
formulated by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and greatly elaborated upon
by his daughter, Anna Freud (1895-1982), in the second volume (1936)
of her eight volume Writings of Anna Freud.
Denial is a defense
mechanism in which a person, faced with a painful fact, rejects the
reality of that fact. That person will insist that the fact is not
true despite what may be overwhelming and irrefutable evidence. When
a person is in denial, he/she engages in distractive or escapist
strategies to reduce stress and help him/her cope. The effect upon
psychological well-being in doing this is unclear.
There are three forms of
denial:
- Simple denial is when the painful fact is denied altogether.
- Minimisational denial is when the painful fact is admitted but its seriousness is downplayed.
- Transference denial is when the painful fact is admitted, the seriousness also admitted, but one's moral responsibility in the situation involving the painful fact is downplayed.
Freud says …
"From a
psychoanalytical viewpoint, denial is a pathological, ineffective
defense mechanism..On the other hand, according to the stress and
coping model, denial can be seen as an adaptive strategy to protect
against overwhelming events and feelings."
Therein is the appeal of
denial to humans. Denial allows someone to keep going unchanged
despite reality. Denial is the path of psychological and moral least
resistance.
University of Washington
social psychologist John Gottman has described a set of behaviors as
"the Four Horsemen," referring to a symbol of the
apocalypse in the Book of Revelation. These four interpersonal
dynamics have a predictable and powerful negative impact on a
relationship and are often indicators of worse problems to come:
- Criticism: Presenting a problem as though it were the result of the other person's defective personality.
- Contempt: The suggestion that you're superior in some way to the other person.
- Stonewalling: A refusal to engage and provide feedback.
- Defensiveness: Denial of responsibility for any part of a problem.
(Ellie
Lisitsa. The Four Horsemen: Criticism,
Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling.
The Gottman Institute. 2013)
People with strong
narcissistic traits cannot process information, emotions and
unresolved pain as it brings up such feelings of shame that they
avoid looking at what they have done wrong and taking responsibility
for it. They try to get others to make up for what they did not have
in childhood in order to make themselves feel better. They cannot
tolerate internal negative emotional distress and turn it on others
instead of looking within to see their own part of the problem. An
inflated self-esteem is a defense using grandiose thinking to cover
up their sense of shame deep within.
We can apply all of the
findings about denial to Donald Trump. Not only does he possess all
the Four Horsemen indicators, he routinely practices simple denial,
minimisational
denial, and transference denial. His followers are so used to hearing
Trump deny that they offer excuses for his behavior. The Trump
faithful says, “That's just the way he is.”
Consider the truth:
virtually anything said followed by “That’s just the way he is”
is, itself, denial. Author Lynn Namka, Ed. D. explains …
“The five year old
who can’t admit what he or she has done wrong is acting within
normal developmental limits. The adult who cannot see the ugly truth
about himself because he or she feels embarrassed is stuck in an
immature defense. Denial is the reversal of responsibility. It comes
from the inside when you feel embarrassed and powerless to be able to
do anything different because you are caught in an earlier way of
thinking.
“Without the
willingness to own one’s own actions, the person cannot change for
the better. Life’s lessons are denied and the person is stuck in
his or her own rut.”
(Lynn
Namka. “Denial and Other Common Narcissistic Defenses.” 1996.)
Ultimately, any act, no
matter how terrible, can be carried out and condoned once people have
developed the necessary level of denial. Trump is guilty of the
following:
Wishing away science,
Misusing scientific data,
Making things up,
Ignoring expert advice,
Blaming China and the
Democrats
Trump's
response to COVID-19 and climate change alone present a disturbing
reality: he is a present danger who places his narcissistic
well-being above the health of the nation. His irresponsible gaffes
and tweets once considered annoying and sophomoric by many are now
getting more and more dangerous. This pattern of immoral behavior
influences others who, in turn, empower movements driven by disregard
and random conjecture. For
Americans counting on the Trump administration to protect them from
the disease, this should be deeply disturbing.
Vanity
Which once was locked
inside Pandora's box
Now said to be the
"father of all sin"
And one's denial is
it's paradox
Abiding in us all,
though well disguised
Once caused an angel's
fall from God's sweet grace
When there are times it
goes unrecognized
A mirror will reveal
it's hiding place
Yet even in admitting
it exists
We yearn to feel that
superficial glow
For deeds of man which
crumble in time's mist
Then feed the fire that
burns self-serving souls
It often hides as false
humility
But ash and dust know
not of vanity
by Daniel Turner
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