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The Apprentice is a thought-provoking and chilling film that depicts a young Donald Trump on his journey from naive, malleable, nepo-baby to cold, dark and narcissistic businessman. During the film, Trump, meets his mentor and father figure, Roy Cohn. Cohn shapes his young apprentice (reminiscent of Palpatine and a young Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars), teaching a young Trump his “three rules of life” and the power of deception and misinformation.
Trump has been critical of the film, calling it a “politically disgusting hatchet job”. Regardless of the authenticity of the film’s depictions, as an expert in psychology, I was struck by how perfect its illustration of some the darker sides of human psychology were.
Psychological research in the past 20 years has highlighted that certain personality traits are indicative of the dark side of human behaviour, such as callous manipulation – a grandiose sense of self-importance, and a lack of empathy. Pyschologists Delroy Paulhus and Kevin Williams found evidence to suggest that three personality traits, known now as the “dark triad”, existed which exemplified the darkest parts of human psychology. The three traits are machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy.
While these are separate traits, it has been found that it is likely that someone who presents with high levels of one may also present with high levels of one of the other traits.
Machiavellianism
Machiavellianism is the manipulative personality trait. Individuals who show machiavellianism are more likely to “behave in a cold and manipulative fashion”. The name of the trait comes from Italian philosopher and writer, Niccolo Machiavelli. In his famous 16th-century political treatise, The Prince, Machiavelli discuses how princes (or apprentices), gain and keep power.
In The Prince, Machiavelli states that “it is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both”. He writes that if you have the power to subordinate another person, they can stop loving you, but they can never stop fearing you.
Cohn in the film provides many examples of machiavellian behaviour. In one scene, for example, he shows a young Trump recordings/photos he has that he can use to blackmail and manipulate powerful people to gain favour and ensure that a decision regarding a tax break goes their way.
Cohn’s three rules of success are also good examples: “Number one: attack, attack, attack. Number: admit nothing, deny everything. Number three: always claim victory, never admit defeat.” These rules are machiavellian to their core: attack to promote fear and gain power. Rules two and three: admit nothing and claim victory, help the person to control and manipulate the narrative.
Narcissism
The film also highlights narcissism. Key components of narcissism are a sense of “grandiosity, entitlement, dominance and superiority,” according to Paulhus and Williams. The final scene of the film perfectly encapsulates this, here Trump discusses with Tony Schwartz, the journalist co-writer of his business book The Art of the Deal, how he is superior. Trump explains how you are either born to make deals or not, how Trump does “not just like making deals”, he “loves them”.
In the film, Trump speaks about his abilities with such confidence and pleasure that it gives a key insight into his grandiose perception of himself. A sense of entitlement and dominance rear their heads in one of the darkest scenes where Trump is shown to rape his then wife, Ivana. The scene suggests that Trump feels superior to Ivana and is entitled to use her body. The rape in the film even seems like a gesture to reaffirm his dominance in the relationship. In real life, the allegation that Trump raped Ivana has never been proved in court.
Psychopathy
Finally, the film also features examples of psychopathy, which is characterised by key elements such as high impulsivity, thrill seeking and low empathy.
Trump’s impulsive and thrill-seeking streak is exemplified in the film by his need to build the Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic city. He pursues its construction contrary to the advice of Cohn. His impulsivity later in the film leads to his downfall as he becomes mired in debt and faces threats from debt collectors.
Trumps lack of empathy also shines through in how he treats Cohn, once his father figure. Towards the end of the film Cohn is dying from Aids-related complications. During this time, the film suggests that Trump won’t speak to him, he makes jokes at his expense and publicly embarrasses Cohn at a private party. At one point, he even shouts mockingly in the street to Cohn: “you do not look too well.”
By the end of the film, the humanity and empathy that Trump had has been stripped away. What is left is someone who has an inflated sense of self, a lack of empathy for others, and the ability to use misinformation to get what they want. It is a strong case study of someone possessed of the dark triad of personality traits.
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Lee John Curley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
