Newswise — Is Herman Cain preparing to self-destruct?
Just a week ago, it seemed as though the Herman Cain presidential campaign was rising in popularity. But then mud began to fly, as it often does during a candidate's run for the top spot in the United States government. Suddenly, the popular Republican contender is in the midst of a potential campaign meltdown with sexual harassment allegations coming from different directions.
"Psychologically, at this point he's in a perfect storm: at the height of attention and a major attack is coming at him. This puts him at a psychological crossroads," says Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., a University of Alabama at Birmingham clinical psychologist.
Klapow says at this point, Cain has two choices: self-destruct or get it back together.
"He is responding to these allegations by being defensive and lashing out. His poker face is gone. If he continues to let his emotions drive his decisions, it will lead to irrational behaviors, and we could see him self-destruct," Klapow says.
Cain's visibility was recently heightened by the national discussion over his chief of staff, Mark Block, appearing in a campaign ad smoking. "It wasn't necessarily positive or negative - but it put him out there even more," Klapow says.
The other option, according to Klapow, is to reel in the natural human reaction to negative attention and change his tone.
"If he can reframe his mindset and control his public behavior, he could come off as cool, calm and rational," Klapow says, adding, "this is a tipping point and he has to choose what he wants to do, now."
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