INSIDE TRUMP'S DARK MIND
Understanding Trump's transactional malignant narcissism.
Photo: Bluesky.
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CONTENTS:
What is transactional?
Trump’s early history
What do psychologists say?
What does the public think?
What is a transactional relationship?
What is a transactional personality?
Is it possible to turn a transactional partnership into a romantic one?
Relational relationships are not transactional
Different goals
How does transactionalism work in international relations?
What is a malignant narcissist?
Does Donald Trump have malignant narcissism?
Conclusion
WHAT IS ‘TRANSACTIONAL’?
Words such as ‘transactional’ and ‘malignant narcissist’ have been used to describe Donald Trump, but what do they mean?
Is Trump ‘transactional’? How does being transactional work in practice? What is a ‘malignant narcissist’?
And what can we expect to see from Trump during his presidency? Can we get inside Trump’s head and predict his likely behaviour based on what is known about his character?
Was Trump’s shameful behaviour towards Ukrainian President Zelensky unusual, or entirely normal for someone with his way of thinking?
These questions made me curious, so I started researching. I have to say, inside Trump’s head appears to be a murky and confused place.
Donald Trump is far from the first politician to be described as transactional. Some argue being transactional is an essential skill for politicians to succeed at the deal-making required in politics.
For example, former Australian Senator Nick Xenophon told the story of the time he asked then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison if he wanted to meet for coffee.
“He looked at me askance and said, ‘What for?’ I said just to catch up and have a chat about issues.
He said, ‘No, mate. I’m purely transactional.’”
Xenophon laughs at the memory, but he wasn’t laughing at the time. “It was pretty blunt. It was a pretty terse response, basically fobbing me off. I thought, okay. I felt a bit chastised. I thought ‘this isn’t someone you want to shoot the breeze with’.
Why did Morrison describe himself as ‘purely transactional’? What does that even mean?
Coincidentally, I read a piece which described Trump’s economic ideas as ‘transactional mercantilism’, so that made me even more curious.
Trump’s early history
I went back to look at Trump’s early history and his best-selling 1987 book ‘Art of the Deal’, assuming it would reveal what he wanted known about his character.
What I found was shocking, even for me. The book reads like a manual for selfish con men.
Co-author Tony Swartz described the character ‘Donald Trump’ who Swartz wrote about in the book as his fictional creation. Swartz said his interviews with Trump were non-productive, so Swartz monitored Trump’s telephone calls for three months and then created a fictional character he named ‘Donald Trump’.
Publisher Howard Kaminsky of Randon House confirmed that Trump didn’t write the book, but merely deleted the names of several business colleagues he didn’t want mentioned.
The book was Donald Trump the actor playing Donald Trump the character. One critic described the book as Trump boasting about how good he was and how easy it was to con people.
Many people have tried to describe Trump’s character, but have struggled to get past the acting to uncover the real person behind the mask.
What do psychologists say?
Psychologists have been unable to administer standard tests to Trump, so are left to speculate based on his behaviour and the reports of others.
Psychologist Dan McAdams described Trump as a combination of extreme extroversion and disagreeableness.
‘People low in agreeableness are described as callous, rude, arrogant, and lacking in empathy,’ McAdam said.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/the-mind-of-donald-trump/480771/
Another psychologist, Ryan Sherman Ph.D., described Trump’s values as strong on power, recognition and hedonism, but low on altruism or sympathy for battlers. He wants to recreate a mythical American past, will take big risks, is focussed on money, values appearances and makes decisions more on gut feelings than science.
‘When considering Mr. Trump’s values profile, in summary, we see a clear driver for status. He wants to win, be in charge, be famous, and create a legacy for himself’, Sherman said.
‘Finally, when we combine this with Mr. Trump’s low Altruism and high Tradition, the result is an individual who is—quite frankly—interested in dominance. Mr. Trump likes to be in charge of others, wants everyone to know he is in charge, has little sympathy for those who are unsuccessful, and prefers to maintain the current social hierarchy.’
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-situation-lab/201603/donald-trumps-values
Forensic psychiatrist and President of the World Health Mental Coalition Dr Bandy X. Lee, who was fired by Yale University after stating Trump was mentally unfit to be President, said Trump met the criteria for being committed to a mental hospital.
"‘The criteria are danger to self, danger to others, or danger to the public for mental health reasons. In fact, my saying so publicly brought ridicule and derision, but mental pathology in a president is a public matter, on which the public needs to be informed, more than anyone else, when its own safety and survival are at stake,’ Dr Lee said.
Dr Lee said Trump is dangerous because his illness is so severe he does not recognise it, and because his cult followers are buying into his mental illness.
“Shared psychosis”—which is also called “folie à millions” [“madness for millions”] when occurring at the national level or “induced delusions”—refers to the infectiousness of severe symptoms that goes beyond ordinary group psychology. When a highly symptomatic individual is placed in an influential position, the person’s symptoms can spread through the population through emotional bonds, heightening existing pathologies and inducing delusions, paranoia and propensity for violence—even in previously healthy individuals. The treatment is removal of exposure,’ Dr Lee said.
Lee led a group of psychiatrists, psychologists and other specialists who questioned Trump’s mental fitness for office in a book that she edited called The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President.
Lee also wrote Profile of a Nation: Trump’s Mind, America’s Soul, a psychological assessment of the president against the backdrop of his supporters and the country as a whole.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-shared-psychosis-of-donald-trump-and-his-loyalists/
What does the public think?
American surveys of public opinion about Trump are deeply divided along partisan political lines, with Republicans more favourable than Democrats, so the partisan divisions make such surveys of limited value in assessing opinions about his character.
The biggest public opinion survey is an election. Trump received the votes of about 32% of eligible American voters, while Harris received support from about 31% and 36.7% didn’t vote. So, about two-thirds of American voters DIDN’T support Trump.
What do Australians, who are neither Republicans nor Democrats, think about Trump?
Opinion polls found Australians favoured Kamala Harris over Donald Trump about 2:1, with support for Harris strongest among women and Labor voters, while support for Trump was mainly among younger males and Liberal-National and more conservative voters.
More recent polls show majority disapproval of Trump, with Trump’s support here hovering just under 30%, but results can vary depending on how the questions are worded.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-28/us-election-young-men-back-trump-in-australia/104522558
What is a transactional relationship?
A transactional relationship is one which treats a relationship as a transaction. A transactional person expects to give something and get something back. It is often short-term and impersonal. This is essentially a selfish relationship.
It is when couples treat marriage as a business deal, like an arranged marriage or selling your daughter to gain favours.
Traditional gender roles can be transactional relationships. Someone brings home the bacon, and the other partner cooks it, sets the table, and washes the dishes while the breadwinner watches football. It is a behaviour, meaning it’s deeply rooted in a person’s subconscious and personality.
Transactional leadership occurs when one person takes the initiative in making contact with others for the purpose of an exchange of valued things. ... Their purposes are related, at least to the extent that the purposes stand within the bargaining process and can be advanced by maintaining that process. But beyond this the relationship does not go. The bargainers have no enduring purpose that holds them together.
— James MacGregor Burns, Leadership, (1978)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transactional_leadership
What is a transactional personality?
A transactional personality is someone who never acts (positively or negatively) if there’s nothing to gain. Is that bullying?
A person with transactional behaviour will only give if they can take. They may apply this to all their relationships, including their romantic partners. A transactional romantic relationship is when someone keeps tabs on what they give and receive from their spouse.
There are forms of relationships that are like slavery. A give-and-take relationship for sex sounds closer to prostitution than a marriage. One person pays for sex with money, accommodation or food.
Being in a transactional relationship can be challenging. Aside from the terms and conditions that must be agreed to, a transactional relationship may improve or deteriorate over time, depending on how the parties adjust to it.
One of the reasons why people go into transactional partnerships is due to family pressure, and even social standing.
Is it possible to turn a transactional partnership into a romantic one?
It is a very bad idea to enter a relationship intending to change the other person, as they may refuse to change, so what happens then?
A loving relationship should not be like a business deal. A true partnership is one unit. Spouses are not against each other, they are considered as one entity. True couples don’t measure what they give to their partners, true couples enjoy giving to their partners.
“The foundation of a strong relationship lies in emotional connection. It’s not just about transactions; it’s about creating a deeper, more meaningful bond.” – Dr. John Gottman.
So, how does one deal with giving to their partner without them taking advantage of our generosity?
Relational relationships are not transactional
True marriages are about going through everything together as one entity. There’s no giving and taking. You and your partner are the same; taking from your partner is the same as taking something from your pocket. Giving to your partner is no different than investing in yourself.
Relational relationships are those that are based on mutual trust, respect, and care. They are often long-term, personal, and value-oriented.
We might have a relational relationship with our family, friends, or mentor. We know them well and care about their well-being. We don't expect anything in return, except their loyalty, support, and honesty.
https://www.marriage.com/advice/relationship/transactional-relationship/
Different goals
Transactional and relational relationships can both be important for different reasons. Transactional relationships can help achieve goals, solve problems, and access resources. They can also expand networks, expose new opportunities and improve skills.
Relational relationships can fulfill emotional, social, and spiritual needs, provide feedback, guidance, and inspiration, enrich life, boost happiness and improve health.
Different behaviour is required in each case. Building better transactional relationships requires us to be clear, professional and respectful. Building better relational relationships requires us to be authentic, empathetic, and supportive.
People can exercise both transactional and relational skills in different areas of their lives. A business person might be transactional at work, but relational at home. They might drive a hard bargain at work, but be unstintingly generous at home.
Different skills and ways of thinking are required in each of these situations. The problems come when we use the wrong skills in a situation. A generous person could go broke at work, while a transactional person might quickly ruin their marriage or family life. It is horses for courses.
How does being transactional work in international relations?
When Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign over 50% of Ukraine’s mineral wealth if he wanted Ukraine to continue to receive US military arms, Trump was practicing transactional mercantilism, treating government like a business deal.
Another example is Trump’s demand to annex Greenland to exploit its untapped mineral wealth.
Trump’s economic beliefs are taking the USA back to the 16th century theory that a favourable balance of trade makes a country richer.
This approach increases government control of the economy, as has happened in Russia and China. It is not free trade, but becomes protectionism, using high tariffs on manufactured goods, and results in colonialism to exploit the wealth of other countries, such as Ukraine.
Mercantilism is an outdated economic theory which has been widely replaced by the market economy’s supply and demand forces, which reduce government control of the economy and favour free trade. Australia is an example of a successful market economy with free trade.
What is a malignant narcissist?
Trump has been described as a ‘malignant narcissist’, but what does that mean?
Malignant narcissism is a psychological syndrome comprising a mix of narcissism, sadism and a paranoid outlook on life. Malignant narcissism is highlighted as a key area in the study of mass murder, sexual sadism, and serial murder. It is a form of psychopathy.
A person with pathological narcissism may hurt people but then regret it. However, a malignant narcissist may lack empathy and not regret harming others. The malignant narcissist may even get pleasure from hurting others.
The Hare Psychopathy Checklist is a diagnostic tool used to measure the extent of psychopathy in individuals. It was originally developed in the 1970s by Canadian psychologist Robert D. Hare for use in psychology experiments, based partly on Hare's work with male offenders and forensic inmates in Vancouver, and partly on an influential clinical profile by American psychiatrist Hervey Checkley first published in 1941.
It is a 20-item inventory of perceived personality traits and recorded behaviours, intended to be completed on the basis of a semi-structured interview along with a review of "collateral information" such as official records. The scores are used to predict risk for criminal re-offense and probability of rehabilitation.
Factors in the test include selfish, callous and remorseless use of others, chronically unstable, antisocial and socially deviant lifestyle and reactive anger, criminality, and impulsive violence. There is a high risk of recidivism and mostly small likelihood of rehabilitation for those who are labelled as having "psychopathy" on the basis of the ratings in the manual for the test, although treatment research is ongoing.
The psychopath tends to display a constellation or combination of high narcissistic, borderline, and antisocial personality disorder traits, which includes superficial charm, charisma/attractiveness, sexual seductiveness and promiscuity, affective instability, suicidality, lack of empathy, feelings of emptiness, self-harm, and splitting (black and white thinking). In addition, sadistic and paranoid traits are usually also present.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy_Checklist
Does Donald Trump have malignant narcissism?
Trump hasn’t sat for the test and interviews, so there is a lack of clinical information. Psychiatrists are divided about if Trump is a malignant narcissist, with many saying there is not enough information to make a diagnosis. Trump may be bad, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he is mentally ill.
Among those who believe Trump is a malignant narcissist is John Gartner, Ph.D., a psychologist who taught at Johns Hopkins University Medical School for 28 years. He says yes, the president has malignant narcissism.
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