Risk/Prevalence
Men with Low
Self-Esteem
-Men are more competitive with each other in terms of power and, therefore, more likely to take Trump’s bold virility (also thought of as manliness, manhood, machismo) as a personal offense. He is an Alpha-Male and they are envious of his success and savoir faire, wealth and wife, and his ‘take no prisoners’ attitude. These men experience Schadenfreude when Trump has a setback, and derive particular pleasure when they have played a role in his misfortune. For these men, a hint of Trump’s existence is a reminder of their inadequacy and a provocation of antagonism.
Feminist Women
– Women protesting against Trump began with the Pussyhat Project in 2016. They created a movement, marches and lots of hats to show solidarity for women’s rights and hatred towards Trump. Women protesting Trump’s election to the current term took a page from the Greek play Lysistrata, where women protested against war by withholding sex, and from South Korea’s ‘4B’ movement against gender-based violence, where women follow the 4 ‘no’s: no sex, dating, marriage or children. Some American women even shaved their head, got a hysterectomy, broke up with, divorced or plotted to poison their Trump-voting partner. They convinced themselves that Trump hates women, and feel they’re standing up for all womankind by opposing him. Some current polls show that the group that hates Trump the most is white college-educated women.
Politicians
-TDS also explains the behavior of male and female RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) who oppose Trump in Congress, though they were elected on the expectation that they believe in Republican values. The term RINO is a longstanding acronym for these Republican politicians whose rhetoric or actions deviate from their party’s principles. But, during Trump’s presidential terms, those with TDS have been exceptionally and loudly critical of him, due to their irrational hatred rather than the content of his proposed policies or appointments. Examples include: Mitch McConnell (Senator from Kentucky), Liz Cheney (former Representative from Wyoming), Mitt Romney (retired Senator from Utah) and Susan Collins (Senator from Maine).
Risk of Contagion
– Psychiatric diagnoses cannot spread by direct contact, like bacteria or viruses spread a disease. However, some TDS symptoms can spread through other means, especially with the speed of transmission of ideas and images that we have today, via television, radio, print and online traditional media, as well as social media and public discourse. Emotional contagion of TDS occurs when emotions like anxiety or outrage towards Trump, are transmitted to others around them. Social contagion occurs when behaviors or attitudes are spread by political ‘influencers’, people who are looked up to as more knowledgeable about government or life. Peer-to-peer transmission of TDS can occur in social networks where members are exposed to each other’s experiences. Cultural and societal factors can also play a role, such as exposure to conspiracy theories about Trump. If strong enough, these contagions can result in ‘mass psychosis’ or ‘mass hysteria’.