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Donald Trump on the way to the helicopter that will take him to the hospital
Photo: Alex Brandon / AP
SPIEGEL:
Ms. Boecker, we woke up on Friday morning to the news that US President Donald Trump was suffering from Covid-19.
Many wondered whether a virus could do what the most powerful man in the world could not do before: to limit him to his limits.
And they felt glee.
Is this allowed?
Boecker:
Schadenfreude is a general psychological phenomenon.
People all over the world feel it.
Even in countries that don't even have a word for schadenfreude.
From a psychological point of view, I can say that it is legitimate to feel this way, because certain factors fuel the feeling and make it highly probable, especially in this case.
Donald Trump has many triggers for malicious pleasure.
SPIEGEL:
What are they?
Boecker:
Research shows that there are three factors that make malicious pleasure very likely.
The first factor is a person's superiority and dominance.
We feel schadenfreude when misfortune happens to a person whom we classify as superior.
My colleagues and I have shown in detail that especially people who have achieved their status through domination and intimidation of others trigger malicious pleasure.
People whose status we judge as deserved through performance rarely trigger the feeling.
Many also feel that the second factor, which determines schadenfreude, is appropriate to Trump.
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