Trump is a total genius at two things:
- Sensing & tapping into unconscious rage
- Playing upon the psychological phenomena of the “sunk-cost” fallacy
Trust between citizens and institutions (especially Govt) has been collapsing since at least the 80’s. And people’s lives have been getting worse in many ways. Not worse than their grandparents, but worse relative to 20 years prior.
Human brains “project” their own internal dissatisfactions onto symbols and easy targets in the outside world. Remember how Bill Cosby would criticize other comedians for bad language?? He was virtue-signaling to compensate for the shame he felt over his own behavior.
Human brains also rewire themselves to support & justify PRIOR DECISIONS such that they can feel stable, intelligent, sane and prescient. It’s a natural strategy given us by evolution in order to preserve homeostasis.
My expertise is not in cults, but I’ve always gotten the sense that they leverage isolation and sense of difference more than rage. But they certainly do capitalize & rely heavily on the sunk-cost fallacy. Related to cognitive dissonance for those who know that term.
Dewey Gaedcke’s answer to What is “virtue signaling”? What are some examples? Is it good or bad?
Dewey Gaedcke’s answer to What are the benefits of seeking therapy?