The Political Orphanage How To Deal with Political Lizard People
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Apr 1, 2026 
Bill Eddy, a clinician-lawyer who leads innovation at the High Conflict Institute, unpacks how high-conflict personalities show up in politics. He outlines red flags, the fantasy crisis triad, and why media and emotion-driven tactics empower narcissists and sociopaths. Practical communication strategies and ways to assess candidates are discussed in short, clear segments.
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Stuck Anger Explains Perpetual Grudges
- High-conflict personalities exhibit emotion dysregulation and get stuck at anger in the grief cycle instead of moving to acceptance.
- That stuck anger explains years-long grudges and repetitive rehashing of past slights.
Adversarial Worldview Drives Polarization
- High-conflict people adopt an adversarial worldview that frames groups as wholly good or evil, fueling polarization.
- They focus on attacking people rather than diagnosing behaviors or solving policy problems.
Boris Johnson As A Grandiose Political Example
- Bill Eddy uses Boris Johnson as an example of grandiosity: wanting to be 'world king' and pushing Brexit as a symbolic rejection.
- Johnson's grand plan produced economic harm and unilateral moves like proroguing parliament.
