Trauma-Infused Politics

In The Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté explores how traumatic childhoods are apparent in some of our current politicians. He explores Steven Harper’s coldness, Justin Trudeau’s exuberant vulnerabilities and Hilary Clinton’s inability to connect with everyday people, in detail. He also examines Donald Trump, whom he calls a wounded sociopath.

As for the people who voted for Donald Trump, Maté examines the motives of people who follow those politicians who exude hostility and an authoritarian streak. Politicians like Trump, who demonstrate aggression or assertion, the opposite of impotence, are attractive to voters who lack a sense of real power. Politicians like Donald Trump make some people feel safe, i.e. they feel they are being protected. I would add here that you have to be on the same political team as the authoritarian leader to feel safe. Most Canadians that I have been hearing from lately do not feel safe, or tellingly, want to join the US to be on Trump’s team.

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