Why trump Lies

Psychology vs. Philosophy

Recently, I came across an article titled, “As a philosopher, I’m convinced that trump isn’t lying, he’s doing something worse.”

Having analyzed many academic theories before and finding them consistently lacking in narcissistic understanding, including Robert Pape’s “Escalation Trap,” all previous testing instantly triggered the conclusion, “This should be good.” 🙄

To be clear, Counter-Narcissist Intelligence is never about knocking down theories or people honestly trying to better understand. Using the philosophy correctly means never surrendering to your confirmation bias like a narcissist.

Ergo, even when every one of my personal indicators is signaling a theoretical crash and burn, an open mind is always required.

This path is easy to follow because Counter-Narcissist philosophy is all about finding common-sense truths hidden within psychology and putting them to use for good and into more user-friendly contexts.

In this regard, it was a revelation to understand that malignant narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths hate and want to block any type of positive change that reveals their dark nature, which means it must be a worthwhile endeavor.

One tragic but true way to view this mentality is that these are extremely negative, miserable, and hateful people who seem to unconsciously do all they can to trigger everyone else into being as negative, miserable, and hateful as they are so they can feel more normal.

Teachable moments

When prominent people’s theories with psychological holes receive positive attention, from a CNI perspective, these are among the best learning opportunities and ways to exhibit how our philosophy brings clarity.

On the inspirational side, when we show that even big brains often get narcissists wrong, it proves that anyone can be tricked, so you must forgive yourself if you do, or they win.

Seriously, it’s only human to assume that someone appearing social, “normal,” and confident is sincere and genuine, rather than wearing a mask to hide a neurotic, predatory liar without a conscience.

However, an advantage normies have is that we can handle being wrong and learn, while narcissists can only handle being right, so they never learn.

Therefore, let us start this psychology vs. philosophy showdown to learn which theories are most accurate in explaining why trump and other narcissists lie.

A theory turns to dust upon contact with CNI

To be clear, I don’t recall Professor Robert Talisse, but a basic search says he is a prominent philosopher and political theorist with a reputation for innovative perspectives on challenges to democracies.

The only judgment made here is how a theory holds up against a malignant narcissist’s lens. From that perspective alone, while Talisse’s analysis has some interesting phrasing, Counter-Narcissism instantly identified the theory as a minor subset of a much bigger psychological picture.

Unfortunately for Talisse’s theory, as a subset, we can easily show that it is only a fraction of the answer and therefore has no value. However, the question “Why does trump lie?” makes this an interesting and useful lesson about almost all narcissists.

History

As noted previously, with my political science education I would have likely had similarly limited views until I fell down a rabbit hole 20 years ago.

Indeed, an Alice in Wonderland type journey provided me with an intensive, “real-world” experience and serendipitous education about malignant narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths.

Insidiously, the psychology merged with my international relations and business backgrounds by offering clear and logical answers to humanity’s dark sides and has never let me down since.

This kind of intellectual merger is ideally how CNI works for individuals, groups, organizations, and civil societies as well. One views their subject through the correct psychological prisms and then tests theories for soundness, truth, and wisdom.

Unfortunately, for political scientists and philosophers, what psychology reveals is that many of their theories and conclusions, like Talisse’s, are just parts of a much larger psychological framework they appear completely unaware of. Hence, CNI’s Cassandra Complex.

The following is a breakdown of what a philosopher theorizes is needed to understand about trump’s lies vs. CNI’s more comprehensive answer.

The theory

Professor Robert Talisse of Vanderbilt University argues that trump does not lie in a conventional sense and what he does is an even more toxic act. Generally, Talisse asserts that trump is expressing his contempt of the people he is talking to through his obvious falsehoods and is taunting them with his unbelievable lies.

A theory falls apart

As noted above, the moment I read Talisse’s theory that trump lies because he is “expressing his contempt” and “taunting” people, Counter-Narcissist psychology instantly told me he was 100% mostly wrong. In a few paragraphs, if you don’t see it already, you will too.

Philosophy vs. psychology

Moral lens

Where Talisse interprets the behavior morally, CNI interprets it comprehensively. What is meant by this is that in Talisse’s theories, trump’s false claims are moral failures, such as saying things he knows are obviously false to mock critics and degrade institutions, and that many supporters now feel betrayed because they too are being treated with similar contempt.

With this moral lens, the focus is on right and wrong, betrayal and disrespect, valuing truth, and democratic norms. On the other hand, a narcissist psychology views lack of morality as just one of many symptoms, traits, and factors that have different meanings in different circumstances with different kinds of narcissists.

While CNI agrees with the belief that trump’s “lies are so transparently false that it’s hard to plausibly imagine that deception is the goal,” we agree for the opposite reason.

The expression is true because when trump says unbelievable falsehoods, most people like Talisse don’t get that a grandiose malignant narcissist needs to tell themselves (and everyone else) all kinds of lies just to make it through the day without narcissistically collapsing.

In other words, yes, it is hard for most people to “plausibly imagine” that trump needs to deceive himself into accepting his unfathomable fantasies, because most don’t know that is what narcissists do to keep up a delusional structure that holds their fragile psyche together.

Despite Talisse’s opposite conclusions, psychology tells us that trump actually does believe most of the insane lies he says, because he wants to, needs to, and has no shame that gives him any pause in telling massive untruths that support his twisted delusions and selfish beliefs.

Does anyone really think that trump doesn’t psychologically need to keep telling himself that he won the 2020 election or that he still pulls large crowd sizes? In the last month, he said he was booking larger crowds than Elvis in his prime. That’s not contempt or taunting, that is just insane or the thoughts of the cognitively slipping, demented narcissist he appears to be.

A comprehensive lens

While Talisse claims the purpose of trump’s unbelievable lies is to show contempt, to taunt critics, and to weaken institutions like the free press, CNI has and can prove a more comprehensive view.

Indeed, the motivations described by Talisse are completely true because one of the reasons trump tells insane lies is to show contempt and gaslight, but the behavior is not fundamentally about contempt, it is about narcissistic supply.

With a more complete psychological lens, the focus is on looking at what a narcissist says and does to protect their fragile and self-deluded self-image.

If they compulsively avoid narcissistic injury, try to control every narrative to serve themselves, and cause confusion, chaos, and destruction to keep any accountability away from them, they might be a malignant narcissist. It’s important to note that higher levels of dysfunction indicate higher levels of toxic predators. Sound like anyone you know?

The evidence

How was it instantly apparent that Professor Talisse’s theory didn’t hold up to psychological scrutiny?

It’s simple if you are very familiar with what a malignant narcissist is and if you consider trump to be one.

Here goes: The theory that trump tells insane lies to show contempt and taunt people is a fraction of the more complete answer. In fact, Talisse’s examples are just two of many reasons why malignant narcissists tell incredible lies. Ergo, any theory that uses only two minor reasons why narcissists lie is only fractionally true at best.

The many reasons why malignant narcissists lie

They lie to others and themselves to protect their grandiose self-image, because they are obsessed with people seeing them as flawless and superior. Lying lets them maintain this delusion, at least for themselves.

They lie to avoid any thoughts of conscience or guilt. They seem to subconsciously know they can’t be a hero if they admit to all the horrible things they have done as toxic predators. When that truth is exposed, some turn to supervillainy because they have nothing to hide anymore.

Lies allow malignant narcissists to portray themselves as the righteous hero facing an “evil.” Whenever someone stands up to one, the challenger has projection viciously thrown at them. Being branded as “evil” by the true evildoers is the most common reaction, even if they just want to hide their smallest mistakes, failures, and losses. Malignant narcissists are the people who literally can’t handle the truth.

Lying is a tool for gaining power by manipulating situations, people, and information to gain advantage. It is clearly very easy to act this way for those without conscience.

They lie to gain more narcissistic supply. Things like more money, sex, power, dominance, and unhealthy attention are the most common examples. Many of us are at least familiar with this kind of predatory liar.

They lie to deflect blame, deny wrongdoing, and avoid being questioned.

They lie for the sadistic pleasure of harming others because it makes them feel powerful. In this case, the lie is usually told to discredit, isolate, or psychologically torment the victim. This behavior seems closest to the taunting and disrespect behind Talisse’s theory.

A personal favorite tell is that they must always be the perfect person who has never made a mistake and did it all alone, because if anyone gets any credit for helping them, they can’t seem to handle it. As many know, it is just stunning to witness narcissists be psychologically incapable of acknowledging others who help them or, more likely, did all the work or made the breakthrough, and the toxic predator took all the credit for it.

Essentially, the primary reason narcissists lie is to control what they believe, what others believe, and how their history is interpreted and written. Expect lies about anything that doesn’t fit their narrative.

The malignant pattern

Unlike your average everyday liar, malignant types of narcissists lie consistently, tactically, and strategically, both subconsciously to themselves and to many others. These lies often seem silly, unnecessary, or completely unbelievable, but they are often very necessary for the narcissist in maintaining their control over others, themselves, or both.

They are not just being contemptuous and taunting, as Talisse theorizes. Yes, every malignant narcissist savors feelings of superiority, contempt, and taunting. However, what they really want is to trigger, gaslight, and create chaos, because they don’t just lie to deceive.

At the core of a narcissist’s behavior, they lie to dominate, punish, and alter reality to what they need it to be to succeed at whatever self-serving things they are up to.

Always remember, their lying is not a moral failing in the conventional sense. This behavior is a defense mechanism of a disordered mind rooted in incurable fear, insecurity, and an inability to acknowledge their imperfections or recognize the value of other people, which means Talisse’s contempt and taunting are results, not reasons.

Conclusions

In trying to answer why trump lies, where Talisse interprets his lies morally as taunting and disrespect, CNI interprets them comprehensively as mere symptoms of the malignant types of narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths we study. The fact is, contempt and taunting are just two of many traits, tells, and toxic behaviors of people on this spectrum.

Frankly, CNI’s merging of political science and philosophy with narcissist psychology has blown up many poli-sci theories and axioms, although that is not CNI’s mission, purpose, or desire.

Our mission and purpose are to use empirical psychology, intuitive logic, and basic common sense to help find the missing pieces and clues that complete the puzzles and solve the mysteries our friends, neighbors, and societies need to create their own positive futures with. In that regard, it is truly an inspiring honor that CNI is read in all 50 states and 82 countries.

Again, there is no disrespect meant towards Talisse. This is only meant to be a lesson in how quickly and easily Counter-Narcissism can test a theory and show why it does not hold up psychologically.

Unfortunately for Talisse, his theory clearly does not hold because narcissists lie for all kinds of reasons, and almost every other reason is more core than the examples he used to answer why trump lies.

Apologies if items seem repetitive. Abstract psychology is often not sticky in the mind, so CNI tends to repeat the parts that need to stick.