Abusive Conservatism

[VioletLake]

For the Republican leadership, the victim is the target of choice for blame deflection. It's a cold, cynical tactic that can be difficult to defend against. With this in mind, I searched the Web, hoping to find a morsel of wisdom--perhaps from a great philosopher; instead, I found a remarkably concise description of the psychology driving the aforementioned leadership. In the proper context, this list of behaviors reads like a tactical manual for the Republican Party:

Mid-Valley Women's Crisis Service
Domestic Violence: In the Mind of the Abuser
http://www.mvwcs.com/mindabuser.html

[Gman]

1. Excellent find!

Welcome to DU! Excellent find!

Excerpted:

Abusive people typically think they are unique, really so different from
other people that they don't have to follow the same rules everyone else
does.

Excuse Making

Instead of accepting responsibility for his actions, the abuser tries to
justify his behavior with excuses.

Blaming

The abuser shifts responsibility for his actions away from himself and
onto others, a shift that allows him to justify his abuse because the
other person supposedly "caused" his behavior.

Redefining

In a variation on the tactic of blaming, the abuser redefines the
situation so that the problem is not with him but with others or with the
outside world in general.

Success Fantasies

The abuser believes he would be rich, famous, or extremely successful if
only other people weren't "holding me back."

Lying

The abuser controls the situation by lying to control the information
available. The abuser also may use lying to keep other people, including
his victim, off-balance psychologically.

Assuming

Abusive people often assume they know what others are thinking or
feeling. Their assumption allows them to justify their behavior because
they "know" what the other person would think or do in a given situation.

Above the Rules

As mentioned earlier, an abuser generally believes he is better than
other people and so does not have to follow the rules that ordinary
people do.

Making Fools of Others

The abuser combines tactics to manipulate others. The tactics include
lying, upsetting the other person just to watch his or her reactions, and
encouraging a fight between or among others.

Fragmentation

The abuser usually keeps his abusive behavior separate from the rest of
his life. The separation is physical; for example, he will beat up family
members but not people outside his home.

Minimizing

The abuser ducks responsibility for his actions by trying to make them
seem less important than they are.

Vagueness

Thinking and speaking vaguely lets the abuser avoid responsibility. For
example, "I'm late because I had some things to do on the way home."

Anger

Abusive people are not actually angrier than other people.

Power Plays

The abuser uses various tactics to power trip others.

Playing Victim

Occasionally the abuser will pretend to be helpless or will act
persecuted in order to manipulate others into helping him.

Drama and Excitement

Abusive people often make the choice not to have close relationships with
other people.

Closed Channel

The abusive person does not tell much about himself and his real
feelings.

Ownership

The abuser typically is very possessive.

Self-glorification

The abuser usually thinks of himself as strong, superior, independent,
self-sufficient, and very masculine.

[VioletLake]

2. thanks, Gman

It wouldn't be too difficult to list examples for each behavior. I thought it would be interesting to post it on DU, and invite the members to contribute examples. To be honest, I was a little apprehensive about asking, since my topics are usually ignored.

[opihimoimoi]

3. Thank you for a very good post. Keep on the trail to Sanity & Reason

[catzies]

4. A very hearty and warm "Welcome to DU," VioletLake!

:hi:

Excellent find and worth reading and saving. Thanks!

[VioletLake]

5. my pleasure...

Finding a new "frame" can be pretty satisfying--especially when it matches the subject so closely.

Thanks for the welcomes. :) I joined DU about two years ago, but mostly I visit to read--and learn.

[newyawker99]

6. Hi VioletLake!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[VioletLake]

7. heya newyawker99!

Cheers :toast:

[yardwork]

8. Welcome to DU and thank you for that link!

It also describes the traits of narcissistic personality disorder very well, a problem that seems to be pervasive in the Bush Crime Family.

[VioletLake]

9. I was also hoping...

...to get insights like yours, yardwork. Thanks.

[VioletLake]

10. The Cult of Abusive Conservatism

My search also led me to a site that specializes in Cultic Studies. Here's an excerpt from their Q&A page:

Deception
Recruits are duped into believing that the group is benevolent and will enrich their lives by, for example, advancing their spirituality or increasing their self-esteem and security. As a result of this deception and the systematic use of highly manipulative techniques of influence, recruits come to commit themselves to the group’s prescribed ways of thinking, feeling, and acting; in other words, they become members or converts.

Dependency
By gradually isolating members from outside influences, establishing unrealistically high and guilt-inducing expectations, punishing any expressions of “negativity,” and denigrating independent, critical thinking, the group causes members to become extremely dependent on the group’s compliance-oriented expressions of love and support.

Dread
Once a state of dependency is firmly established, the group’s control over members’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior is strengthened by the members’ growing dread of losing the group’s psychological support (physical threat also occurs in some groups), however much it may aim at ensuring their compliance with leadership’s often debilitating demands.

[VioletLake]

11. Bush Jong-il

Bush is envious of Kim Jong-il, because his Asian counterpart does so much more with so much less. And Kim Jong-il looks at Bush and thinks: "If only I had that idiot's means..."

:shrug: