A Psychological Profile of Richard Nixon, as Depicted in Nix
Richard Nixon, as depicted in Oliver Stone's 1995 biopic Nixon, displays many characteristics typical of narcissism. His childhood is one that caused an "Injured Self" which led to a desperate need to be admired, envy, a lack of empathy, risk-seeking behavior, paranoia, and a distorted perception of reality in adulthood. Nixon was raised in Whittier, California. He was the son of Quakers, Frank and Hannah Nixon. Frank Nixon once owned a poor lemon ranch that was sold before oil was found on the property. His son likes to relate this story in speeches, and does so often enough that those who know him can tell it word-for-word along with him. The anecdote always gets a laugh, but Nixon himself doesn't seem to be telling it with much of a sense of humor. Instead, he seems to feel as if this is just one of many injustices that he and his poor family endured. After the lemon ranch, Frank Nixon became a grocer, and it is this era that is depicted in Nixon. Richard and his younger brother, Arthur, and older brother, Harold, help out at the store, working from a young age. Richard respects his parents almost to the point of fearing them. He seems to think of his mother as almost otherworldly, often referring to her as "a saint". It's
Gazing at a portrait of JFK near the movie's end, Nixon says, "When they look at you, they see what they want to be. These are two traits that Richard Nixon never possessed and could never possess no matter how hard he worked, and he knows this. " Nixon replies, "How did he do that?" He realizes that he will never be loved by the people in the same way that JFK was, and it eats him up inside. He needs "them" to love him, but they never will. " There is no definition of who "they" is. He is paranoid from early on in his political career. " Even when he achieves his ultimate goal of becoming president he is still not satisfied. These men had worked to protect him for years, but in the end, Nixon, felt no loyalty to them. Even beyond that, the Kennedys are handsome and charismatic. He is also depicted as someone with a risk-seeking orientation. These are the words of a man who desperately needs the attention that comes along with being a politician. This, of course, is another trait of narcissism: the compulsion to reach for ever greater goals without ever being satisfied with what one has accomplished.
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Acceptance Essays
