EVOLVING DISPLACEMENT

Once I had a patient who was convinced that he was suffering from a Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was referred to psychiatry because all medical tests were completely negative, yet he continued to believe that he was dying.

I collected all his medical tests and went over them with him until I finally made him admit that there was no evidence that he he had Hodgkin's lymphoma. He seemed happy and went home. Within a week he was back in the ER and the doctor's brought him over to Psychiatry. He was now convinced he had colon cancer.

I followed this gentleman's case for more than two years. He refused psychiatric treatment, but he went to a series of doctors with sequential fears of various cancers. To make a long story short, the imaginary "cancers" that he feared were killing him were a psychological cover-up, hiding an even more devastating personal truth he did not want to face. This truth was so unacceptable to him, that his unconscious preferred to hold onto the idea that he was dying of some sort of cancer rather than deal with it.

As defense mechanisms go, this one is a step up from psychological projection (extremely immature and even psychotic at times), and is commonly referred to as psychological displacement (immature and neurotic). Displacement is the underlying explanation for the rampant Bush Derangement Syndrome that was orginally described after Bush's election in 2000 and which has been a key to understanding the political left's psyche. Like the imagnary cancer of my former patient, it allows them to disguise their own limitations and inadequacies and continue to see themselves as proponents of utopia (no wonder they routinely fall for the messiah myth).

Well, President Bush is soon not going to be the President. Who will the desperate Democrats and their leftist base have to displace/project all that rage? Who will they have to focus their own inadequacies and unacceptable feelings onto?? In anticipation of that dreadful day, they have had to find a substitute for him so they can make the upcoming election all about that person, instead of answering any questions about their ideal, blemish-free Messiah (who they project all their fantasies of perfection onto).

Sarah Palin is perfect for the part because--as in the case with Bush--her very existence is an affront to all they believe about themselves and the world. In other words, she fits their psychological needs perfectly and can become the projective vessel for all their displaced and unacceptable emotions. Obama is the probably the most unqualified person ever to run for the office of President from a major party, but Democrats in droves (and a few Republicans) have accepted the idea that somehow it is Sarah Palin's "inexperience" that is a threat.

I don't have to recount all the insanity and utterly ridiculous assertions that have been directed her way because she happens to be a female who doesn't follow the leftist script for women and has dared to think and behave independently of their victimhood rules. Suffice it to say she is an extremely popular and attractive governor of a rather large state that is an energy powerhouse; and is perfectly appropriate for selection as the VP candidate for someone like McCain.

As long as they can get the press to focus on Palin's "inexperience", then they don't have to address the very real lack of qualifications that their own candidate brings to the job. And, of course, they don't have to actually list any of the One's non-existent accomplishments.

As a personal example of how deeply this evolving displacement has penetrated into what used to be even relatively normal democrats, check out this anti-Palin ditty written, composed, and performed by one of my neighbors (and friends) here in Ann Arbor and posted on Youtube. He calls it "Country First, The Ballad of John and Sarah". I asked him if I could post it on my blog and his response was "Bring it on."

Of course, he could also just despise Sarah Palin in the same healthy way that I loathe Barack Obama...but then, I tend to think not.




Meanwhile, the following video was sent to me from a Democrat for Hillary (they are still rather annoyed with The Messiah's tactics during the primary). Background on the video can be found here. It is called "We Will Not Be Silenced" and is a documentary about voter fraud in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary, and how that fraud is being carried forward into the November election. The American population is slowly becoming aware of ACORN and its widespread voter registration fraud activities. If we can keep focused on a little reality (instead of engaging in the rather ridiculous Democratic rage against someone like Sarah Palin) then maybe this story would get a little traction....but then, that's the purpose of psychological displacement: to disguise and obfuscate a painful inner reality that does not want to be faced. This is part of the unpalatable truth that Democrats don't want to deal with as they scramble desperately to regain power at all costs. We hear it in the excuses and rationalization they are now bringing forth in defense of ACORN's illegal behavior to rig the upcoming election.

Check it out:



Parts II, III are found here.