Disinfectant Denial -- Coming Clean in Trump's World

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:

1. Simple denial is when the painful fact is denied altogether.
2. Minimisational denial is when the painful fact is admitted but its seriousness is downplayed.
3. 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

There lives a silent evil deep within

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