No guarantees that this applies, but it may be helpful.
About 16 years ago I got a 'dream' design and consulting job as a result of winning a design competition. I designed electronics in NZ, communicated with US client and Canadian industrial experts in Canada and factory in China and went to China numerous time for factory visits, visiting suppliers etc.
I 1st met the client in person on my first China factory visit. Prior to that he had been affable and delighted at my proposals. By midday on the first day I felt like going back to NZ. I wasn't going to, but ... . It rapidly got better from then on.
Over the next + years I became used to a very familiar pattern. We usually got on very well. But: The client would switch between 3 modes:
- Normal bright enthusiastic intelligent push-his-product business man. Happy with my performance and designs.
- Super hyper enthused we can do anything, the sky's the limit, go go go ... Ecstatically happy with my performance and designs.
- Deep depressive despair, the people we are about to meet are going to steal my ideas, why did you do that, you are not working as you should, why are you going to Xian (like he said I should 8 hours before, as he said I'd done all that he wanted and there was no need to stay.), get back and talk to the factory ..., the design changes I approved yesterday cost too much and I'm scrapping them. ... . Throw in suicidal in the last mode.
A real roller coaster. Very interesting. Lots of fun. I NEVER knew what the next session was going to bring.
A psychiatrist friend said it sounded like "short cycle manic depressive" See Bipolar Disorder. He noted that dealing with such people was diabolical :-).
He was a nice guy, usually. I liked him. I wish for his sake that he wasn't as he was.
Your man does not sound exactly the same BUT there may be enough similarities to be useful. Or not.
