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Has Donald Trump turned bullying into a political art from? If so, how did he do it?
Having built a successful career as a preeminent narcissist, could his recent success be an instance of two negatives equaling a positive?
In order to explore these questions, the relationship between bullying and narcissism requires a bit of explaining. While even Trump’s supporters would have difficulty dismissing claims that he is a narcissist, or a bully, it seems that it is the combination of narcissism and bullying that has galvanized the Republican electorate, raising the question how (and why) a society that has fostered anti-bullying campaigns over the past decade is looking to elect a bully.
Both bullies and narcissists share a strong sense of conviction. And surely, what attracts many to Trump is his certainty. There is no political ‘double-talk,’ no sense of waffling or political correctness, let alone apology. He is not Christopher Lasch’s narcissist, depending on others to validate his self-esteem. While Trump may ultimately be unable to live without an admiring audience, he does, in fact, glory in his individuality. He has placed himself beyond shame (in the political arena, at least) and this is precisely what makes him so dangerous. In this, he more fits the mold of a ‘rugged individualist’ who sees the world as a wilderness to be shaped to his own design—think robber-barons like Rockefeller and Carnegie—than the stereotype of, say, reality show “mactors” whose desperate need of the spotlight suggests insecurities beneath the surface.
In other words, Trump’s bullying behavior (coupled with his financial independence) allows his vainglory to be writ large, crushing those who stand in the way of refracted grandiosity. Social aggressions can be re-cast when the narrative is one of a mythic lone rebel taking justice into his own hands, or even as David taking on Goliath (America loves an underdog success story).
This suggests that--contrary to popular belief--a very secure sense of self-worth underlies all Trump’s actions (including his candidacy). And in fact, as Twenge and Campbell argue (in The Narcissism Epidemic) the notion that narcissists are insecure and have low self-esteem is a myth. On the contrary, many narcissists really do consider themselves awesome. Believing that they are wonderful, superior—the best, even—enables these individuals to dominate (aka ‘bully’) others with impunity. An overblown sense of self is so all-pervasive as to preclude the perspectives of others—or have any concern for the harm one might be doing those who are clearly inferior.
For what is a man, what has he got
If not himself, then he has naught
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way (Sinatra, My Way).
