Adaptive Behavior and the White House

George Valliant, a Boston psychiatrist, wrote a book called Adaptation to Life,  many years ago. It provided an analysis of the data gleaned from a long-term research study of college sophomores at Harvard College. Dr. Valliant was interested in what psychologically made up adaptive behavior.

He found that people who adapted well and became successful used higher level defense mechanisms like humor, anticipation, suppression, altruism, and sublimation. When Presidents Kennedy and Obama were under stress frequently they used humor to diffuse a situation. John Kennedy and Theodore Roosevelt were rich, white men of privilege but they cared about poverty and civil rights. Their visions went beyond their personal welfare and security. They were altruistic. How many times did President Obama bite his lip when he was unfairly attacked. He kept his anger in check and didn't give his enemies more fodder to work with.

Adaptive people aren't always happy or content, but they function efficiently and use good judgment. As Valliant points out, they may not be the life of the party, but they get things done.

Less adaptive people use immature defenses like projection, denial, impulsiveness, and acting out. Their inner life gets in the way of effective, functional action. Trump sees enemies everywhere. His impulsiveness is legendary and at times seems to have a life of its own. Historically he has been a woman chaser and vindicative punisher of those whom he feels have wronged him. He can't stop himself from tweeting and making inappropriate comments.

Trump's use of denial is pervasive. He denies facts that don't support his position or understanding of things. He doesn't grasp the science behind climate change, so it doesn't exist. He wants his audience to be big so it is. And so it goes on and on.

These type of reality-altering strategies that Trump uses to protect himself lead to bad judgment and faulty decision making. Calling the leader of a major power "Rocket Man" during a tense time of negotiations seems reckless and ill-advised. Getting rid of good people in the government because they disagree with you makes no sense. Labeling the press as fake news purveyors is misleading and false. Ignoring the plight of Puerto Rico is cruel and inhumane. When one lives in a reality of his own making, in the short run it may limit the experience of anxiety, but eventually, it is doomed to failure.