Cain's profile: Neither Casanova nor rapist
We all read fables as children. While we learn morals, we also are inadvertently conditioned to readily believe the unlikely and even the impossible.
Such is the case made against Herman Cain by Sharon Bialek, whose accusations read more like a fable than historical fact.
One would think that in this evidence heavy culture, physical evidence would be necessary to convince a discerning public of a political candidate's predatory nature. Bill Clinton's scandal provided a stained dress; Anthony Weiner broadcast his scandalous behavior online. In the case of Herman Cain, we have nothing, except a woman's report of an egregious act. It would be wise to examine her contentions.
There are two psychological profiles to consider when we look at the behavior pattern of a sexual predator. The first is the Casanova – the man who fancies himself irresistibly desirable. He can lure women with expensive hotel rooms, suave demeanor and, ultimately, his sexual prowess. The Casanova revels in the chase, the innuendo and the pursuit. He lures, flatters and elicits. He utilizes a wide array of well-rehearsed pick up lines. While he exerts power in compartmentalized ways, he unconsciously questions his own personal power. He compensates by controlling and conquering.
He is overdressed, self-doubting and compensatory, as his inadequacy is intolerable. Deep down, he loathes himself for using sex to try to cover his insecurities. He uses women to mask his failures in life, but his failure to secure a deeper and permanent intimacy necessitates an unending supply of superficial conquests. Here, despair manifests in his showmanship, and his ever-frantic effort to prove himself worthy in some pseudo-masculine arena. Ultimately, sex becomes a means of conquering, no matter how low he has to take his standards to achieve his ego strokes, sometimes resorting to prostitution, serial marriage and other problems.
The second profile matches the rapist, the bona fide sexual offender. The rapist can stem from the latter personality, becoming ever more desperate and demented. The rapist has a different approach to sex, but a consistent one – he refuses to take "no" for an answer. His insecurity about his masculinity and lack of control in most parts of his life are so pervasive that his ego cannot tolerate rejection, or he would risk admitting that he has no control, no personal worth and no power. The rapist comes on bold, fast, with no foreplay, no tenderness, no invitation. He can allow no room for rejection. His is not a game, but an act of war. There is no victory, only conquering.
These profiles both reflect deep unhealthiness, but they are quite distinct. The Casanova might ultimately resort to violent offence or the rapist role, but the reverse never occurs. The accusations against Herman Cain defy common sense in light of these personality profiles. Ms. Bialek asserts that Mr. Cain shoved her head in his lap in a car – an act of aggression – then asserts that he took "no" for an answer – a decidedly non-aggressive choice. Either contention would be believable exclusively, but they simply cannot co-exist.
The rapist doesn't take no for an answer. The Casanova doesn't move to sex until he has properly romanced his prey. It is part of the game. Bialek claims he attempted to shove her head in his lap without so much as a kiss or a kind word. This unrealistic accusation simply does not pass the smell test. It appears more like the work of a contrived, confused and counterfeit accuser who hasn't examined the psychological profiles of her supposed predator.
There are other problems with her contentions, too. Bialek contends that Cain upgraded her hotel room. The Casanova would take advantage of that situation, and come on to her with a visit to the nicer room he got for her. Again, this is part of the chase.
The rapist would not get her the room in the first place. He only needs a dark room, or a desolate corner to weave his trap for his victim, and his crime does not take long.
Why would the rapist ever go to the trouble of the Casanova hotel room at all? And why would the Casanova go to the trouble of the hotel room and then not light the candles, run the bathwater, put the flower petals on the bed and go for his conquest? He wouldn't. It just doesn't fit the profile.
But there are still more problems, such as Bialek's involvement in multiple lawsuits, bankruptcies and perpetual unemployment. She craves money, drama and attention. Her personality profile fits perfectly into the contrived victim/false accuser role. The parasitic nature of the repeat civil accuser is entirely consistent with the histrionic behavior exhibited thus far. The only problem is that while she so aptly fits the accuser profile, she forgot to do her homework to see that her accusations accurately fit her implied offender profile – and they are grossly contorted.
Even if she didn't happen to live in the same apartment building with known anti-American socialist and Obama cohort David Axelrod, her story is simply too full of fables for any thinking person to believe.
The "lady" doth indeed protest too much, methinks.
Gina Loudon, Ph.D., is the PM drive talk-show host of "The Dr. Gina Show" heard in eight states across the South and the Midwest. She appears regularly on Fox Business and Fox News, is a founding member of the National Tea Party and the founder of the BUYcott movement. She writes for WND, Big Government and Fox News Opinion, among others.
Dathan Paterno, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and clinical director of Park Ridge Psychological Services, outside of Chicago. Working with children and families for 20 years, his expertise is equipping parents to reclaim their families using scientifically sound and proven methods. His parenting book, "Desperately Seeking Parents," includes his parenting philosophy and a wealth of practical advice for modern parents. He also maintains a parenting blog.