All #45 can think about is power, and in an immature way. He clearly lacks confidence in his own potency, so he is obsessed with “strong men” like Putin, with proving his sexuality even (or especially) at a cost to his marriage by bareback sex with porn stars (though he has to pay them to keep quiet about what happened so he can tell the story the way he wants to), by being a bully to his opponents — but only those he can punch down to.
I analyzed his inaugural address, and found a clear pattern of what is known in my field as implicit Power motivation, Stage I Maturity. What that means is that it is someone who is strongly motivated by the desire to influence others or the world at large, but feels strongest when associated with someone else (or something else) perceived as strong. It is a very immature stage, also referred to as the “Infancy” stage. (cf. Abigail Stewart on Emotional Stance/Stages of Power – there are four stages from least to most mature.) His statements and actions occasionally show Stage II (Adolescent stage: the “you can’t make me!” stage), and personalized (i.e., selfish) Stage III (pushing someone else down to make oneself feel larger).
For about the last forty years or so, we’ve known that the most effective leaders are socialized Stage III (I influence you for the good of everyone) and Stage IV (power shared is power multiplied; empowering others). #45 shows zero evidence of either.
All #45 can think about is power, and in an immature way. He clearly lacks confidence in his own potency, so he is obsessed with “strong men” like Putin, with proving his sexuality even (or especially) at a cost to his marriage by bareback sex with porn stars (though he has to pay them to keep quiet about what happened so he can tell the story the way he wants to), by being a bully to his opponents — but only those he can punch down to.
I analyzed his inaugural address, and found a clear pattern of what is known in my field as implicit Power motivation, Stage I Maturity. What that means is that it is someone who is strongly motivated by the desire to influence others or the world at large, but feels strongest when associated with someone else (or something else) perceived as strong. It is a very immature stage, also referred to as the “Infancy” stage. (cf. Abigail Stewart on Emotional Stance/Stages of Power – there are four stages from least to most mature.) His statements and actions occasionally show Stage II (Adolescent stage: the “you can’t make me!” stage), and personalized (i.e., selfish) Stage III (pushing someone else down to make oneself feel larger).
For about the last forty years or so, we’ve known that the most effective leaders are socialized Stage III (I influence you for the good of everyone) and Stage IV (power shared is power multiplied; empowering others). #45 shows zero evidence of either.