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Psychoanalyst Dr. Karyne E. Messina can't diagnose former President Donald J. Trump. But his behavior matches what's known, in her circles, as projective identification: people who are distinctly uncomfortable with their own thoughts and actions may unconsciously try to dispose of those feeling by blaming others. Instead of taking responsibility, they project, and their victims might not even realize quite what's wrong.
Over the past four years, Donald Trump has encouraged the development of a generation of people inclined to this behavior, along with hateful identity politics and bigotry, and who no longer know how to engage in thoughtful, meaningful debate.
Rooted in psychoanalysis, Aftermath is a prescription for our country, and a guide to healing. It will take time, patience, and a willingness to take stock of our country's divergent viewpoints. We must also demand that our leaders engage in a process that incorporates a respectful way of communicating. By combatting projective identification in all its forms, Messina says, we can make progress, learn from each other, and heal the divide.
About the author
Karyne E. Messina, Ed. D. is an analyst at the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis and is on the medical staff at Suburban-Johns Hopkins Medicine. She is the author of the book Misogyny, Projective Identification and Mentalization: Psychoanalytic, Social and Institutional Manifestations. For more information on her work, visit karyne-messina.com.
