Friday, May 16, 2008
But what does his penchant for psychobabble tell us about the mayor's own mental health?
Mar 22, 2000 | When New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani accused Hillary Rodham Clinton Tuesday of "projection," he exposed a penchant for psychobabble that he indulges in with surprising regularity.
Clinton had claimed the mayor racially polarized the city in the wake of the shooting of Patrick Dorismond, an unarmed black man killed March 16, by, among other reasons, releasing the records of Dorismonds criminal history. But instead of simply rebuffing or countering Clinton's remarks, Giuliani lashed back with Psych 101-speak. "There's a process called projection in psychology," he said at a news briefing. "It means accusing someone of what you're doing. That is precisely what Mrs. Clinton is doing."
During his two terms as mayor, Giuliani has exhibited a nasty preoccupation with the mental health of others, examples of which we compiled (see "Rudys case history," below). According to Deborah Tannen, a linguistics professor at Georgetown and author of "The Argument Culture," Giulianis "specific strategy of accusing the attacker of psychological problems, that pathologizing of the attacker, seems somewhat, um, original of him." She also calls it inappropriate for a politician. "He's not in a position to truly evaluate the psychological states of the people he's talking about," Tannen says. "Secondly, it shifts the level of debate to a level that's hard to respond to. When he's talking about a psychological trait called transference or projection, how do you respond to that?"
But what do Giulianis armchair evaluations say about him? "I think he needs therapy," says Dr. Carole Lieberman, a Beverly Hills-based psychiatrist. "Or if he is already in it, I would think it's time for some medication." Lieberman suggests that Giuliani's outbursts might be caused by his questioning of his own sanity. "People who feel vulnerable psychologically, who unconsciously have questions about their own sanity, are quicker to question the sanity of others."
Which begs the question: Is Rudy on the couch himself?
I called Sunny Mindel, the mayor's press secretary. "What?" she screeched when I asked if the mayor was in therapy. "You're doing an item?" Of sorts, I said, and repeated the question. "He reads a real lot," she said evenly. So, that means he's not in therapy? "He reads a lot," she said, and hung up.
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