Commentary

Did Trump Use Psychological Techniques in His State of the Union?

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by Dr. Bart Billings of Carlsbad, CA

In his recent State of the Union Address, President Trump either purposely or accidentally used at least two psychological techniques to leave his opponents adrift, not knowing what to do next. One was the double-bind psychological technique, and the other, a catch-22 psychological technique.

The attending Democrats were so confused they yelled in vain to stop what was happening. The situation left the Democrats, who appeared more like Demoncrats, in a vulnerable position. On optics alone, the result was a degradation of their party platform.

The two strategies left the opposition feeling powerless, as explained below.

The double-bind technique is comprised of a communicative dilemma in which an individual receives or perceives two or more conflicting, contradictory messages, making it impossible to satisfy both, as fulfilling one violates the other. Proposed by Gregory Bateson, this “no-win” situation causes immense confusion, anxiety, and psychological paralysis and is often used to exert control in relationships.

The catch-22 technique is a paradoxical, inescapable situation in which the pursuit of a goal requires actions that make achieving it impossible, often leading to mental health struggles or behavioral traps. It is a circular “no-win” dilemma where the solution is embedded within the problem itself.

There were several times during the speech in which Trump’s opponents didn’t know when to stand and applaud or remain seated. The results included instances of inappropriate behavior that ignored common decency. At election time, Republicans will no doubt take advantage of the situation by creating videos of Democrats appearing confused and behaving inappropriately. 

To add one final note, one could see clearly that many politicians were suffering from cognitive dissonance, something that was originally described by Leon Festinger in 1957. The theory states that individuals experience psychological discomfort (dissonance) when holding conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.

In today’s political environment, people and politicians dismiss facts that challenge their political party. As a result, they accept and embrace “fake news” without question. In other words, they ignore facts and information that conflict with their existing beliefs. This tendency was clearly visible during the State of the Union address.

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DR. BILLINGS’ CURRENT BOOK —

It’s More than Time to Push Back

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True Americans must be “SEEN” and “HEARD” loudly! We must show actual 1st Amendment Constitutional nonviolent remedy for our government’s faulty actions, especially its emerging socialism.

It is time to hold it accountable for its dismal failure to safeguard “ALL” Americans and our American Way of Life.

The establishment media’s constant attempt to brainwash us into believing that all violent protests in our cities are a powerful force for political progress in America is an insult.

We, the people, have more electoral power than the Socialists and their street agitators, who coerce us with criminal violence to surrender our American Way of Life.

We are tired of the Socialists, globalists, and mainstream media pampering criminal anarchists like parents who fail to chastise their idiotic children for willful and harmful disobedience. We are tired of the blame games and racist cards being played over and over again, as if it makes reasonable sense that we are responsible for their failed and costly socialist policies’ suffering.

We reject the idea that American riches and success are entitlements rather than the result of hard effort, self-sacrifice, and ingenuity that motivate moral charity. We won’t be informed that sharing our affluence with family and religious communities is a skin color or birth status privilege.

— The Publisher

The Authoritarian Left Is Going To Be Ruthless

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“None of this is about ‘safety,’ it’s about purposely inflating a threat in order to assert political and cultural dominance.” — Liberal Reporter Michael Tracey

The believers of diversity and tolerance are showing us they are anything but. With nothing but a strand of an excuse, the corporate left shut down the President of the United States while allowing others to “incite violence.”

“The new corporate authoritarian liberal-left monoculture is going to be absolutely ruthless — and in 12 days it is merging with the state. This only the beginning,” Tracey warns. 

This development is NOT GOOD for anybody. It’s that simple.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2021/01/09/liberal-reporter-sees-right-through-big-techs-reason-to-ban-trump-n2582855