Reply #16: my unqualified psychological opinion

[progdonkey]

Bush's Freudian slip regarding "leashing" his daughters does point to a deeper psychological issue. Bush has a deep hatred of his parents--his mother because she was distant and never instructed him how to grieve over his sister's death (further stunting his emotional and intellectual growth); his father because of the long shadow of achievement he cast on Bush's life.

Now, in his daughters you have a merging of these two hatreds. That his daughters are women invokes the hatred of "Mother" in him; that they are both intelligent--if frequently drunk--college graduates invokes his hatred of being outshined by family members.

It's quite obvious that the use of a leash is one of control and domination. By fantasizing about keeping his daughters on a leash, he is fantasizing about controlling and dominating these icons which represent his greatest anxieties.


Of course, I could just be tired, drunk, and full of shit.... :evilgrin:


(Regardless of the psychology, in can't be denied that it's frighteningly stupid for someone under investigation for abuse which involved keeping people on leashes to joke about... keeping people on leashes.)