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| The ideology of Trumpism must be regarded as a cult. The behaviors of individuals cannot be considered expressions of any kind of rational self-interest. |
It seems there are many individuals who seem to think that some day, evidence of Donald Trump's crimes will reach a critical tipping point that will result in a tremendous loss of support both for Trump, and the GOP. This expectation is not realistic. Trumpism has clearly taken on aspects of a cult, and just like any cult, we can not expect a moment of rapid collapse.
For decades, psychologists and historians have argued that individuals become susceptible to fascist ideologies as a result of frustration in their daily lives. In this essay, I will offer some new thoughts on that idea, and describe a likely future for Trumpism as an ideological movement.
In earlier essays, I used the term "ego maintenance" to describe the actions that a neurotic individual uses to maintain an image of himself as a useful member of society Upon further study it has become clear that use of this term requires greater explanation. A dramatically simplified version of Baumeister's theory of ego depletion states that "self control is a limited resource, and that erratic and self-destructive behaviors may be a product of individuals reaching the limits of that resource." In a recent discussion in the Twitter community Psychodynamic Research, Clinical Psychologist Dr. David Winarick pointed out that "ego maintenance", as Baumeister applies it, can refer to any behavior that helps to restore the ego, so the person is able to "cool off" and restore their sense of self-control. Dr. Winarick and I agreed that "misdirection of ego maintenance" would be a more effective phrase for describing the adoption of socially destructive ideologies as a means of trying to preserve the ego.
Although Baumeister used a number of novel experiments to try to demonstrate his point, I feel it is actually the work of economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton, and their study of "Deaths of Despair," their shorthand to describe the phenomenon of declining life expectancy and increasing substance abuse among working class and rural whites that best demonstrates Baumeister's theory. Economic stresses that have resulted in a "hollowing out" of the industrial base in America's interior states. That hollowing out is a result of out-sourcing of manufacturing jobs. That loss of employment options has diminished quality of life expectations for many working class Americans. An abundance of service industry jobs has not provided effective relief for many, as many young males are either too aggressive, or simply lack the coping and social skills necessary to be able to succeed in service industry employment. The combination of economic stresses and lack of suitability for remaining employment may result in socioeconomic stresses that sap an individual's capacity for self-control and ego-maintenance. It is at this point, that the potential for misdirection of ego maintenance becomes a serious behavioral threat.
Relating back to my earlier essays on fascism, the misdirection of ego maintenance may be characterized as a point where the individual, having exhausted his capacity for self-control and productive ego maintenance activities, experiences an alliance of the ego and the id to the detriment of the super-ego. This alliance of the two elements of the psyche to the detriment of learned notions of right and wrong drives the individual to seek out ideologies that will allow them to externalize their sense of social frustration and personal failure. Once the individual finds a movement they find appealing, he effectively cedes his own sense of self-control in exchange for adopting the dogma of the movement. A well formed dogma, complete with an abundance of slogans and symbols is highly appealing to those who have lost faith in their own decision making and who seek to immerse themselves in the regimented structure of a social movement. The only real requirement for success of a dogma-driven social movement, is that its rhetoric be sufficiently vague, or its stated ideals be enough of a departure from prevailing norms of social behavior so that the individual who joins the movement perceives that enlistment as a decided break from the life experience, i.e. the failed self that they are seeking to leave behind.
It is that abdication of self, which makes individuals so reluctant to abandon a proselytizing mass movement. The "stickiness" of mass movements and social cults was described by psychologist Leon Festinger in his book When Prophecy Fails. In that work, Festinger describes how even extreme examples of disconfirming evidence were not enough to lead to the complete dissolution of cults. Instead, there was a process of followers slowly peeling away from the group, beginning with the least committed and most skeptical individuals. Over time, as disconfirming evidence mounts, the group continues to slowly erode, but it is not at all unusual for their to be remaining believers who profess belief in the ideals of a cult movement even after the group has disbanded, or the charismatic cult leader has moved on with his or her life, or passed away. It is reasonable to conclude that future studies of this theory will show that the degree of belief in the cult correlates to the individual's desire to leave behind their past life. In the groups Alcoholics Anonymous there is the term a "high bottom," which refers to an individual who quit drinking and started attending AA meetings after suffering relatively few consequences for their alcoholism. Future studies will likely show that those who are most ready to leave a cult are those whose rejection of their past lives fits this pattern. Although the skeptics who are first to leave have experienced some disillusionment and frustration with life, their experiences aren't nearly as intense or as humiliating as those of the "true believers" who are far more persistent in declaring their dedication to the cult movement.
Trump supporters should be considered exactly the same as cult members. Trump is their charismatic leader, and his calls for the adoption of social attitudes that were prevalent in the 1940s, 50s and 60s represents a break from modern ideals of social inclusion. Many Southern and rural whites have suffered economic stress as a result of the loss of factory jobs in America's interior states, and their inability to maintain steady employment and thrive in a service based economy is an on-going source of psychological stress. In American culture, it's common for individuals who suffer from frequent job-loss and unemployment to feel they are failures at life. In American culture, holding a steady job is a key element of maintaining self-esteem. Over the long-term, stress related to an inability to maintain steady employment overwhelms individuals' reserves of self-control and their ability to engage in productive ego maintenance activities. It is at that point, that the individual may begin searching for toxic ideologies so they can externalize their sense of self-loathing and failure. Their degree of devotion to this new ideology will correlate directly to the degree of frustration and sense of failure they experience in the life they are seeking to leave behind.
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Image Credit: Photo by Tyler Merbler: posted to Wikimedia Commons:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2021_storming_of_the_United_States_Capitol_DSC09254-2_(50820534063)_(retouched).jpg
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