Is it possible for a rational person to understand the mind of an irrational and unstable person?

[kentuck]

We have spent innumerable days trying to understand the thoughts and actions of Donald Trump. I am slowly coming to the conclusion that it is impossible to understand.

Perhaps all we can do is to guard ourselves from his irrational actions and thoughts? We cannot dissuade or persuade - we can only prepare and adapt. We can only protect our own reality.

Even those that support him do not understand him. They believe, out of blind faith, in a party ideology and little else. They have their own irrational thoughts to deal with.

He is like the neighbor's little boy that throws rocks and curses people as they walk by his house. They try to reason with him but to no avail. Eventually, they realize that he is what he is and they accept that reality.

Donald Trump is not going to change. He is what he is. There is no rational person there. Once we accept that, it is much easier to understand where we go in the future.

[libtodeath]

1. Congressional democrats should introduce daily impeachment articles.

Every committee,every confirmation hearing,every damn thing needs to have that spotlight turned on.

[world wide wally]

4. This!..... Constantly

[cwydro]

7. Don't hold your breath.

Not likely to happen.

[mopinko]

2. it is as impossible as the reverse.

cheeto is equally unable to understand the mind of a sane person.

[kentuck]

3. Very true.

We have to guard against such a person.

[lunatica]

5. Understanding things are what they are is the last stage of grief

Sooner or later we'll all get there is we're willing to work through all the other steps of grief.

Once we do get to the stage where we accept facts as they are the time is good for planning and moving forward with intent.

My intent, when I finally get there is that I will no longer wait for American institutions to fight or rectify the Constitutional destruction of the ramming of the Bush/Cheney style of governance or the Trump/Bannon style. That time was spent in vain during the Bush Era when he ignored the dire warnings that Osama Bin Laden was planning on using airplanes to attack in the US and the ensuing wars he took us to and to the financial disaster they created. We must stop expecting all the media to wake up. WE must accept that some of it has and will continue to do their job and support them and get our facts from them. We all know who we trust. We post their articles here every hour of every day. We know who we trust.

I am no longer looking to our foundational thinking because our foundation, our Constitution, is no longer our operating premise. It's been shredded with the Supreme Court decision to select Bush as our President. The same thing is happening unhesitantly with the Trump Presidency. The Constitution and our American Flag are now merely used as images to cover up for thievery and lies. Alas, it's only a piece of parchment with pretty words on it now.

If we don't see the truth then we're just fools being spoon fed what to think or believe in.

[hfojvt]

6. he seems fairly rational to me

He likes praise. He likes beautiful women. He likes money and power.

What's so irrational about that?

Unstable? Well, he has made some tweets I guess. Some things he has done seem kinda stupid and indefensible, but really can the guy who is a part time janitor call the guy who just got elected President stupid or crazy? Whatever he's done in his life seems to have worked, unlike whatever I have done.

Sheesh, I regularly blow my stack over games of backgammon against the computer (come on, it focking cheats. I have three of its pieces captured, every spot but the four covered and it just happens to roll double 4s. Really? Really? )

Can he be persuaded? Probably as much as anybody else. Which is to say not very much. My experience on DU tells me its pretty hard to persuade anybody of anything, even fairly basic facts sometimes.

Maybe I am not very good at this persuading thingy. Would it be rational for him to listen to me anyway? I'd tell him to pay more taxes, and why should he want to do that?

I want him to be less rational and more compassionate.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Understanding is comprehension. Understanding is NOT acceptance.

[kentuck]

9. Yes.

Acceptance of the fact that he is not going to change is comprehending reality. It is not accepting his irrationality, it is understanding what it is.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

10. Trump is pretty easy to understand.

It's his voters that are more difficult to comprehend, mostly because generalizations of a large group of people almost never adequately describe all of them.

Trump was described very well here:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/donald-trumps-ghostwriter-tells-all

Among other traits:
1. Self-absorbed.
2. Habitual liar.
3. Doesn't keep promises.
4. Constant need for attention, fame and fortune.
5. Vindictive.
6. Short attention span (mentally lazy).
7. Angry when facts contradict his beliefs.
8. Loyal to nobody unless they're serving him.
9. Brags about himself constantly, but fundamentally insecure.
10. Uses flattery and fantasy to manipulate people.

[nolabear]

11. Sure. Then you have to be willing to take the risk to act.

First, rationality is only one element of what makes us good humans. It has to be tempered with empathy and a social sense, not crippled by personality issues or trauma but impacted enough by those things to make one responsive and humble enough to change when needed.

Instability of personality is tough on others because then behavior can't be predicted and when people are in an unstable state they feel terrible and are likely to act in ways that can be harmful to others in an attempt to, in their fantasies, stabilize.

All this can be understood. The very hard part is figuring out how to kindly and compassionately stop that person from doing harm, especially when we all fear the power to stop people from being free to do whatever they want will be abused and keep us from doing what we want.

[kentuck]

12. I think it is the unpredictable nature that troubles people so much.

Not knowing what comes next would bother any half-sane individual.

[kwassa]

13. Psychologists do this all the time.

Trump has a narcissistic personality disorder. He fits all the characteristics.

He needs to be countered with calm rationalism.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

14. Narcissistic personality disorder, indeed!

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder/basics/definition/con-20025568

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of ultraconfidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism.

DSM-5 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder include these features:

Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
Exaggerating your achievements and talents
Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people
Requiring constant admiration
Having a sense of entitlement
Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations
Taking advantage of others to get what you want
Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
Being envious of others and believing others envy you
Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner

Although some features of narcissistic personality disorder may seem like having confidence, it's not the same. Narcissistic personality disorder crosses the border of healthy confidence into thinking so highly of yourself that you put yourself on a pedestal and value yourself more than you value others.