When Power Stops Explaining Itself: Venezuela, Numbness, and the Psychology of Control

Описание: Politics feels chaotic because the story holding it together has collapsed._Shrink the Nation_explains the psychology behind power, anxiety, and control so you can actually understand what’s happening.



In this episode, psychiatrists Dr. David and Dr. Rob examine why a series of extreme events — including the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, the sudden shift from “drug protection” to oil extraction, and talk of acquiring Greenland — landed with so little emotional impact.



This isn’t a policy debate. It’s a psychological diagnosis.



Why does unprecedented use of power feel strangely normal? What happens when leaders stop caring whether their explanations make sense? And how does a society become numb to actions that once would have triggered outrage?



Drawing on clinical psychology the hosts break down collective dissociation, reaction formation, black-and-white polarization, and the collapse of coherence as a governing principle. They explore how repeated crises condition the public to adapt rather than resist — and why “we can, so we do” is a warning sign, not a strategy.



This episode is about recognizing the pattern, naming what isn’t being said, and understanding what comes next when power no longer feels the need to explain itself.