On ‘Radio Times’: Trump and loyalty

    President Trump requires loyalty of his staff and members of the administration. He famously asked former F.B.I. director James Comey for loyalty, has recently criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions for insufficiently loyalty, and at the Boy Scout Jamboree he proclaimed that “we could use more loyalty, I can tell you that.”

    On Monday’s Radio Times, host Marty Moss-Coane hosted a discussion about loyalty in relationships, at the workplace, as well as in politics. She was joined by Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner. He discussed the two ways that people cultivate a devoted following. According to Keltner, one way is “rooted in  Machiavellianism, manipulation, and even psychopathy,” and the other “traces back to Aristotle. It’s this longstanding tradition of thinking about virtue and respect and dignity and even gratitude and compassion.”

    Keltner assessed that Trump uses the Machiavellian model, and said “our studies show that in politics and finance, [Machiavellianism] doesn’t work that well.”

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