The Apprentice is a thought-provoking and chilling movie that depicts a younger Donald Trump on his journey from naive, malleable, nepo-baby to chilly, darkish and narcissistic businessman. Through the movie, Trump, meets his mentor and father determine, Roy Cohn. Cohn shapes his younger apprentice (harking back to Palpatine and a younger Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars), educating a younger Trump his “three guidelines of life” and the ability of deception and misinformation.
Trump has been vital of the movie, calling it a “politically disgusting hatchet job”. Whatever the authenticity of the movie’s depictions, as an skilled in psychology, I used to be struck by how excellent its illustration of some the darker sides of human psychology had been.
Psychological analysis prior to now 20 years has highlighted that sure character traits are indicative of the darkish facet of human behaviour, resembling callous manipulation – a grandiose sense of self-importance, and an absence of empathy. Pyschologists Delroy Paulhus and Kevin Williams discovered proof to recommend that three character traits, recognized now because the “darkish triad”, existed which exemplified the darkest elements of human psychology. The three traits are machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy.
Whereas these are separate traits, it has been discovered that it’s doubtless that somebody who presents with excessive ranges of 1 may additionally current with excessive ranges of one of many different traits.
Machiavellianism
Machiavellianism is the manipulative character trait. People who present machiavellianism usually tend to “behave in a chilly and manipulative trend”. The identify of the trait comes from Italian thinker and author, Niccolo Machiavelli. In his well-known Sixteenth-century political treatise, The Prince, Machiavelli discuses how princes (or apprentices), acquire and preserve energy.
In The Prince, Machiavelli states that “it’s higher to be feared than cherished, if you happen to can’t be each”. He writes that you probably have the ability to subordinate one other particular person, they’ll cease loving you, however they’ll by no means cease fearing you.
Cohn within the movie offers many examples of machiavellian behaviour. In a single scene, for instance, he exhibits a younger Trump recordings/pictures he has that he can use to blackmail and manipulate highly effective individuals to achieve favour and be sure that a call concerning a tax break goes their means.
Cohn’s three guidelines of success are additionally good examples: “Primary: assault, assault, assault. Quantity: admit nothing, deny every thing. Quantity three: all the time declare victory, by no means admit defeat.” These guidelines are machiavellian to their core: assault to advertise worry and acquire energy. Guidelines two and three: admit nothing and declare victory, assist the particular person to manage and manipulate the narrative.
Narcissism
The movie additionally highlights narcissism. Key parts of narcissism are a way of “grandiosity, entitlement, dominance and superiority,” in line with Paulhus and Williams. The ultimate scene of the movie completely encapsulates this, right here Trump discusses with Tony Schwartz, the journalist co-writer of his enterprise guide The Artwork of the Deal, how he’s superior. Trump explains how you might be both born to make offers or not, how Trump does “not identical to making offers”, he “loves them”.
Within the movie, Trump speaks about his skills with such confidence and pleasure that it offers a key perception into his grandiose notion of himself. A way of entitlement and dominance rear their heads in one of many darkest scenes the place Trump is proven to rape his then spouse, Ivana. The scene means that Trump feels superior to Ivana and is entitled to make use of her physique. The rape within the movie even looks as if a gesture to reaffirm his dominance within the relationship. In actual life, the allegation that Trump raped Ivana has by no means been proved in courtroom.
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Psychopathy
Lastly, the movie additionally options examples of psychopathy, which is characterised by key parts resembling excessive impulsivity, thrill looking for and low empathy.
Trump’s impulsive and thrill-seeking streak is exemplified within the movie by his have to construct the Taj Mahal on line casino in Atlantic metropolis. He pursues its development opposite to the recommendation of Cohn. His impulsivity later within the movie results in his downfall as he turns into mired in debt and faces threats from debt collectors.
Trumps lack of empathy additionally shines by in how he treats Cohn, as soon as his father determine. In the direction of the top of the movie Cohn is dying from Aids-related problems. Throughout this time, the movie means that Trump gained’t communicate to him, he makes jokes at his expense and publicly embarrasses Cohn at a personal social gathering. At one level, he even shouts mockingly on the street to Cohn: “you don’t look too properly.”
By the top of the movie, the humanity and empathy that Trump had has been stripped away. What’s left is somebody who has an inflated sense of self, an absence of empathy for others, and the flexibility to make use of misinformation to get what they need. It’s a sturdy case research of somebody possessed of the darkish triad of character traits.
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