PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVES ON AMERICA’S 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Peter Wolson, Ph.D.

We are now only ten days from the presidential election. For many of us, this is the most important election of our lifetime. Not only are the political visions of President and former Vice-President Joe Biden diametrically opposed, but the very foundations of American democracy are being threatened. Similarly, American politics have become so polarized between Republicans and Democrats that Congress can barely pass significant legislation for the benefit of the American people. Our nation’s political psyche has unfortunately regressed and fragmented into an inflexible gridlock of identity politics, “My tribe versus your tribe.” This is in contrast to the historical capacity of our political parties to enter the gray zone of ambivalence, compromise and agree upon policies that have made America the greatest country in the world. Extreme polarization is undermining ’s economy, health, and ethnic, cultural, religious, and gender-based cohesiveness, resulting in a dystopian climate of suspicion, paranoia, social violence and a pervasive fear of death. America is now widely disrespected and even pitied by other nations for having the world’s worst record of controlling the pandemic. With 4% of the world’s population, we have 25% of COVID infections. As of October 22nd, the daily rate of new COVID infections is a startling new peak of 83,000 and rates keep spiking throughout the country with many states reporting their highest numbers ever. How did we get here, and what can we do about it? First, let’s clarify what is meant by a psychoanalytic perspective. This involves analyzing the unconscious psychodynamics that motivate political events and the behavior of politicians. The manifest content of the election includes political activity reported in the media about such issues as presidential leadership and Covid-19; authoritarianism vs. democracy; racism vs. multiethnic/culturalism; narcissism vs. empathy; conspiracy theories vs. science; capitalism vs. socialism, etc. Although psychoanalysis is only one among many scholarly lenses through which political

1 processes can be investigated, such as social psychology, political science, history, sociology, anthropology, economics, journalism, etc., a psychoanalytic viewpoint provides a unique depth of psychological understanding that is rarely found in media discussions. I strongly urge analysts and psychoanalytically oriented professionals to join the political fray by writing op-ed pieces, journal blogs and participating in public forums to deepen the political dialogue. Our series will make every effort to encourage empathy toward “the other,” i.e., those with whom you disagree while providing the opportunity to express your own political opinions in our Town Halls. As mental health providers, the most of us probably identify with a liberal, democratic tribe and are likely to be hostile toward President Trump and Republicans. It is much harder to find comparable fault with Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. An objective psychodynamic analysis is unavoidably influenced by our subjectivity and limited by the complexity of each topic. Being non-partisan has certainly been challenging for me. But even if I side with one over another, when applying a psychoanalytic perspective, it is essential for me to be objective and neutral while speculating about unconscious and processes. I’m urging all of us to employ our clinically honed capacity for empathy, to put ourselves in the shoes of our Republican and conservative sisters and brothers. The same applies to the Republicans among us who have difficulty understanding why Democrats would support Joe Biden and the prevailing Democratic ideology. Devoid of empathic understanding, we