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THOMASDUNNEBOOKS.
AnimprintofSt.Martin’sPress.
THEDANGEROUSCASEOFDONALDTRUMP.Copyright©2017byBandyX.Lee.Forewordcopyright©2017byRobertJayLifton,M.D.Allrightsreserved.Forinformation,addressSt.
Martin’sPress,175FifthAvenue,NewYork,N.Y.10010.
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TheLibraryofCongresshascatalogedtheprinteditionasfollows:
Names:Lee,BandyX.,1970–editor.
Title:ThedangerouscaseofDonaldTrump:27psychiatristsandmentalhealthexpertsassessapresident/editedbyBandyX.Lee,M.D.,M.Div.
Description:Firstedition.|NewYork:ThomasDunneBooks,St.Martin’sPress,2017.Identifiers:LCCN2017028497|ISBN9781250179456(hardcover)|ISBN9781250179463
(ebook)Subjects:LCSH:Trump,Donald,1946—Mentalhealth.|Trump,Donald,1946—Psychology.|UnitedStates—Politicsandgovernment—2017—Moralandethical
aspects.|Despotism—Psychologicalaspects—Casestudies.|Headsofstate—Mentalhealth—Casestudies.|Publicadministration—Decisionmaking—Psychologicalaspects—Casestudies.|Politicalleadership—Psychologicalaspects—Casestudies.|Presidents—United
States—Psychology—Casestudies.Classification:LCCE913.3.D362017|DDC973.933092[B]—dc23
WHOGOESTRUMP?TyrannyasaTriumphofNarcissism
ELIZABETHMIKA,M.A.,L.C.P.C.
Tyrannies are three-legged beasts. They encroach upon ourworld in a steadycreep more often than overcome it in a violent takeover, which may be onereason they arenot always easy to spot before it is too late todomuchaboutthem.Theirnecessarycomponents,thosethreewobblylegs,are:thetyrant,hissupporters(thepeople),andthesocietyatlargethatprovidesaripegroundforthe collusion between them. Political scientists call it “the toxic triangle”(Hughes2017).
The force binding all three is narcissism. It animates the beast while,paradoxically and not, eating it alive, bringing its downfall in due time. Thisforce and its influences, which knit the beast into such a powerful anddestructiveentity,remaininvisibletousforreasonsthatareclearlyhintedatbutsomehowcontinuetoevadeourindividualandcollectivecomprehension.Theymakesurewedon’trecognizethetyranny’smarchingboots,whichcanbeheardfrommiles away andmonths away, until they show up on our doorstep, andthat’s despite the fact that this very sameprocess has repeated itself countlesstimesinhistory.
Wehaveknownwhotyrantsareandhowtyranniesformsinceantiquity,andthisknowledgehasbeen supportedby theever-growing tragicevidenceof thetyrannies’ effectsonhumanity.Yet,despitemakingpromises toourselvesand
oneanotherto“Neverforget,”weseemnottorememberornottoknow,alwayswithdevastating consequences.Our forgetting stemspartly frommiseducation(Giroux 2014) and partly from denial. It gives us clues to the kind of work(psychological, social, political, and economic) that we must do if we are toavoidtheself-destructionpromisedbytyranniestoday.
Let’stakealookattyranny’scomponentsandtheirinteractions.
TheTyrantTyrants come in different shapes and sizes, and depending on perspective,variouswritersstresssimilaritiesordifferencesamongthem(Newell2016).Thispaperwillnotdelveintothoseclassificationsbut,rather,attempttosimplifyandmaybeevenilluminatetheirmostsalientcommonfeatures.
Although the terms dictator and tyrant are used interchangeably, it makessense perhaps to stress that not all dictators are tyrants. Tyrants are dictatorsgonebad.Aleadermaystartasaseeminglybenevolentdictatorbutturnintoatyrant as his reign progresses, becoming ruthlessly destructive with time,somethingwehaveseenrepeatedlyinhistory.
Alltyrantsshareseveralessentialfeatures:theyarepredominantlymenwithaspecificcharacterdefect,narcissisticpsychopathy(a.k.a.malignantnarcissism).This defect manifests in a severely impaired or absent conscience and aninsatiable drive for power and adulation thatmasks the conscience deficits. Itformsthecoreofattractionbetweenhimandhisfollowers,theessenceofwhatis seen as his “charisma.” In his seminal paper on “Antisocial PersonalityDisorder and PathologicalNarcissism in ProlongedConflicts andWars of the21stCentury” (2015),FrederickBurkleobserves thatnarcissismaugmentsandintensifies the pathological features of a psychopathic character structure,makingthoseendowedwithitespeciallydangerous,notintheleastbecauseoftheirabilitytousemanipulativecharmandapretenseofhumanidealstopursuetheir distinctly primitive goals.We talk about the chief feature of narcissistic
psychopathy,theimpairmentofconscience,anditsdestructiveconsequencesin“TheUnbearableLightnessofBeingaNarcissist”(MikaandBurkle2016).
Impulsive,sensation-seeking,andincapableofexperiencingempathyorguilt,anarcissisticpsychopath treatsotherpeople asobjectsofneed fulfillment andwish fulfillment. This makes it easy for him to use and abuse them, in hispersonalrelationshipsandinlarge-scaleactions,withoutcompunction.Hislackof conscience rendershimblind tohigherhumanvalues,which allowshim todisregard them entirely or treat them instrumentally asmeans to his ends, thesamewayhetreatspeople.
Thisdangerouscharacterdefect,however, serveshimwell in thepursuitofpower,money,andadulation.Nothaving the inhibitionsandscruples imposedbyempathyandconscience,hecaneasilylie,cheat,manipulate,destroy,andkillifhewantsto—or,whenpowerfulenough,orderotherstodoitforhim.
The characteristics indicative of narcissistic psychopathy are observablealreadyinchildhood.Biographiesoftyrants(Fromm1973;Miller1990;Newell2016)notetheearlymanifestationsofvanity,sensation-seeking,andimpulsivityoften accompanied by poor self-control, aggression and callousness,manipulativeness, and a strong competitive drive and desire to dominatecoexistent with a lack of empathy and conscience. Plato remarked on the“spirited”characterofa future tyrant showing theabove-mentionedsymptomsalreadyinhisyouth.
Another common, but not universal, biographical finding is a history ofchildhoodabuse.Here,however, accountsvary; for example,while some, likeMiller (1990), stress Hitler’s purported severe abuse at the hands of hisstepfather, others (Fromm 1973; Newell 2016) note that his childhood wasuneventful in this respect. Biographies can be incomplete or tendentious,intentionally and not, and so it is not always possible to verify the truth. It isimpossible to rule out narcissistic upbringing as being involved in raising afuture tyrant—creatinganarcissistic injury that shapes thechild’s lifeandsets
himonapathof “repairing” it througha ruthlessandoften sadisticpursuitofpower and adulation—even when there is no evidence of overt abuse and/orneglectinhisbiographicaldata.
While the exact causes of this character defect are amatter of speculation,their possible origins offer intriguing possibilities explaining their clinicalmanifestations.For example, anarcissistic injury in the firstyearsof a child’slife could possibly impair development of the object constancy capacity. Thisresults in an inability to grasp and adhere to the solidity of facts and,consequently, in a disregard for the truth and other human values, theunderstanding of which comprises a large part of our conscience. Thenarcissistic psychopath’s propensity to lie, whether on purpose to achieve aspecific result or, seemingly effortlessly, to invent a universe of “alternativefacts” that just happen to affirm his grandiose and guiltless image of himself,couldbearesultofthatimpairedobjectconstancycapacity.
His lack of empathy, whether resulting from an inborn cause ornarcissistic/authoritarian upbringing, would further (or separately) limitdevelopmentofhisconscienceandinfluencenotonlythechild’ssocioemotionaldevelopment but alsohis cognitive capacities, resulting inwhatBurkle (2016)calls being smart but not bright. Dąbrowski (1996) termed this as one-sideddevelopment, where intelligence and certain cognitive skills develop more orless normally but one’s emotional growth remains stunted. The capacity foremotional development is crucial, as this is the only kind of growth possiblethroughoutourlifespan:expandinganddeepeningourconscience,andspurringustolearningandmeaningfulchange.
Whetherthedevelopmentalarresttypicalforthisformofpathologyisinborn,acquired, or a combinationof bothnature andnurture, it results in thenarrowand inflexible character structure, with intelligence subsumed under primitivedrives(forpower,sex,andadulation).
AsDąbrowski(1986,trans.E.Mika)writes:
Apsychopathisemotionallyrigidandnarrow.Hehasstrongambitionsandsignificant talents,but theyremainnarrowandundertheinfluenceofprimitivedrives.Hedoesnotexperience innerconflicts,but insteadhecreatesexternalones.Heisnotcapableofempathy,andsohestrivestogaincontroloverothers,or,beforehecangaindominance,hesubmitstothecontrolofothers.Heisusuallydeafandblindtotheproblemsofothers, to their development and developmental difficulties. Herelentlesslyrealizeshisowngoals.Apsychopathexistson the levelofprimaryintegrationandisemotionallystunted.
Wecandistinguish“small”and“big”psychopaths.Wefind thebigonesamongthemostnotoriousworldcriminals,andamongaggressivetyrantsanddictators(e.g.,Nero,Hitler)whodonothesitatetosacrificeothersfortheirowngoals.Forabigpsychopath,apersonandasocialgroupdonothaveanymoralvalue.Tohim,rulesofjusticedonotexist.Genocideorconcentrationcampsarenotamoralproblemforhim,butameanstoanend.
Small psychopaths areminiatures of the big ones. In general, theysubmit to big psychopaths in the right circumstances. A smallpsychopath looks for opportunities to realize his own interests and tosatisfy his desire towreak havoc in society.A psychopath thinks thatlawsare tobebrokenand that theydonot apply tohim.Heuses anycircumstances tosecurehisposition,money,andfortune,regardlessofthe consequences for others, without any consideration for ethicalnorms. Psychopaths do not know how to emotionally comparethemselveswithothers,theycannotemotionallyunderstandothers,andtheylackanempathicattitude.
The individual distinctions between “small” and “big” psychopaths, a.k.a.tyrants,appeartoliepredominantlyintheleveloftheirnarcissism,observedby
Burkle (2015), but also in the presence of some socially approved skills, anabilitytomodulateand/ormasktheiraggressiveimpulsesanddeeds,aswellaslife opportunities and luck. A narcissistic psychopath without sufficientlydevelopedself-controloradvantageous lifeopportunitiesmay turn intoamasskiller whose crimes will land him in prison before his grandiose dreams ofpoweranddominationcometofruition.
Narcissistic psychopaths turned tyrants possess the right combination ofmanipulativeness, self-control, and intelligence to convince others to supportthemlongenoughtoputtheirgrandioseideastoworkonalargescale.Theyalsoappeartopossessskillsthatareseenascharisma,themostfrequentofwhichisthe ability to deliver public speeches that inspire others to follow them.Moreoftenthannot,however,this“charisma”issimplytheirabilitytotellotherswhattheywant to hear (i.e., to lie), tomake them go alongwithwhatever schemethey’veconcoctedforthemoment.Theirglibnessissomethingthateasilyfoolsnormalpeople,whodonotunderstandthekindofpathologythatresultsfromamissingconscience.
Onceinpositionsofpower, tyrantscanfullyunleashtheirsadismunderthecloakofpervertedideals,whichtheypeddleasacoverfortheirprimitivedrives.Insteadof turning intocommoncriminalscondemnedbysociety, theybecomeoppressors and/or murderers of thousands or millions, with their atrocitiesalwaysjustifiedintheirownmindsandthoseoftheirsupporters.ThisiswhyPolPotcouldsaywithouthesitation:“[Y]oucanlookatme.AmIasavageperson?Myconscienceisclear”(Mydans1997),eventhoughhewasdirectlyresponsibleforthedeathsofmillionsofhiscompatriots.
Tyrants identify with other tyrants and find inspiration in their successes,whileremainingoblivioustotheirfailures.Theyrecognizeandrespectpowerasmuch as they are envious of and despise its wielders. The greater and moreruthlessthelivingorhistoricaltyrant,thebiggeraninspirationheisforaspiringones.Hisdisdainformoralityandlawandhisunbridledaggressioninpursuitof
powerappealtothetyrantinthemakingandformatemplateforhisbehavior,showinghimwhatispossible.
On the eve of invading Poland in 1939, Hitler, after issuing orders to“mercilessly and without pity” annihilate “every man, woman, and child ofPolish ethnicity and language,” spoke admiringly of one such role model:“GenghisKhanhadsentmillionsofwomenandchildrentotheirdeaths,anddidso consciously and with a happy heart. History sees in him only the greatfounder of states.” Then he exhorted his subordinates in Poland to “be hard,sparenothing,act faster,andmorebrutally than theothers”—and theyeagerlyobliged(Gellately2007).
Theupcomingtyrantdreamsofbecomingasgreatasandpreferablygreaterthanhis favorite tyrannical rolemodels;and if thoserolemodelsarealive, thetyrant-in-themakingcanbeexpectedtocurryfavorwiththeexistingoneswhileplotting their demise and besting them in the tyrants’ world rankings. Toaccomplishthis,though,hemustobtainapositionofultimatepowerwithinhisownnationfirst.
Thisbringsustothesecondlegofthetyrannicalbeast…
TheTyrant’sSupportersTheprocessthroughwhichthetyrantgainspopularityandpowerusuallybafflestheoutsideobserversandhistorianslookingatitfromtheperspectiveoftime,asitsmain ingredient,narcissism,somehowremains invisible tobothparticipantsandobservers.
The tyrant’s narcissism is the main attractor of his followers, who projecttheirhopesanddreamsontohim.Themoregrandiosehissenseofhisownselfand his promises to his fans, the greater their attraction and the stronger theirsupport. As Plato wrote in The Republic, “The people have always somechampionwhomtheysetoverthemandnurseintogreatness.”
Through the process of identification, the tyrant’s followers absorb his
omnipotenceandgloryandimaginethemselvesaspowerfulasheis,thewinnersinthegameoflife.Thisidentificationhealsthefollowers’narcissisticwounds,but also tends to shut down their reason and conscience, allowing them toengageinimmoralandcriminalbehaviorswithasenseofimpunityengenderedbythisidentification.Withoutthesupportofhisnarcissisticfollowers,whoseein the tyrant a reflectionandvindicationof their long-nurseddreamsofglory,thetyrantwouldremainamiddlingnobody.
Theinterplayofgrandiosehopesandexpectationsbetweenthetyrant-in-the-makingandhissupportersthatsuffuseshimwithpowerandhelpspropelhimtoapositionofpoliticalauthorityisanexampleofnarcissisticcollusion:ameshingof mutually compatible narcissistic needs. The people see in him their long-awaitedsaviorandafathersubstitute,hintingatthenarcissisticabuseimplicatedin theauthoritarianupbringing thatdemandsobedienceandworshipof theall-powerfulparentalfigure.Intheirfaithandunquestioningadmiration,heinturnreceives a ready lineof narcissistic supply, thousandsofmirrors reflectinghisgreatness.
Describing the narcissistic collusion between the tyrant and his supporters,Erich Fromm (1980) stressed the elements of submission to and identificationwiththestrongman:
Thehighlynarcissisticgroupiseagertohavealeaderwithwhomitcanidentifyitself.Theleaderisthenadmiredbythegroupwhichprojectsitsnarcissism onto him. In the very act of submission to the powerfulleader, which is in depth an act of symbiosis and identification, thenarcissismof the individual is transferred onto the leader. The greatertheleader,thegreaterthefollower.Personalitieswhoasindividualsareparticularlynarcissisticarethemostqualifiedtofulfillthisfunction.Thenarcissismoftheleaderwhoisconvincedofhisgreatness,andwhohasnodoubts,ispreciselywhatattractsthenarcissismofthosewhosubmit
tohim.Thehalf-insaneleaderisoftenthemostsuccessfuloneuntilhislack of objective judgment, his rage reaction in consequence to anysetback,hisneedtokeepuptheimageofomnipotencemayprovokehimtomakemistakes which lead to his destruction. But there are alwaysgifted half-psychotics at hand to satisfy the demands of a narcissisticmass.
Jerrold Post (2015) underscored the authoritarian parenting aspect of thatidentificationwhendiscussingHitlerYouth:
EspeciallyfortheHitlerYouthMovement,whichwasattheforefrontofHitler’s support, Hitler’s externalizing hate-mongering rhetoric was acomforting and inspiring message, and Hitler provided the stronginspiringfatherfigurethatthesechildrencouldnotfindwithintheirownfamilies. But, in rebelling against their own families, they submitteduncritically to Hitler’s authoritarian leadership. Importantly, AdolfHitler’s unleashing of the demons of war was turning the passivehumiliation of defeat [in World War I] into the active experience ofredemptiveaction.
Thenarcissisticmixtureofelevatedexpectations,resentments,anddesireforrevenge on specific targets and/or society in general for not meeting thoseexpectations is what sociologist Michael Kimmel (2013) called aggrievedentitlement.AlthoughKimmeltalkedspecificallyaboutwhiteAmericanmeninthe twenty-first century, some form of aggrieved entitlement has been drivingtyrantsandtheirsupporters,aswellasorganizedand“lonewolf”terrorists,theworldoversincetimeimmemorial.
The tyrant makes many good-sounding—but also openly unrealistic,bordering on delusional—promises to his supporters, and usually has nointention or ability to fulfillmost of them (if any).Heholds his supporters in
contempt,ashedoes“weaker”humanbeingsingeneral,andusesthemonlyaspropsinhisdomination-andadulation-orientedschemes.
Thenarcissisticcollusionbetweenthetyrantandhissupportersisalsodrivenbythelatter’sneedforrevenge,forthetyrantisalwayschosentoperformthispsychicallyrestorativefunction:toavengethehumiliations(narcissisticwounds)ofhisfollowersandpunishthosewhoinflictedthem.
However, as thewoundsoftendate to the supporters’ personal ancient pastandmoreoftenthannotareperceivedratherthanreal,thechoiceoftheobjectofthis vengeful punishment is not based on reality. Rather, it is based on thedisplacement and projection characteristic of the scapegoating process thatbecomesaninextricablepartofthenarcissisticcollusionbetweenthetyrantandhisfollowers.
The scapegoating designates the Others as an object upon which thenarcissisticrevengewillbe inflicted.TheOthersalwaysrepresent thesplit-off,devalued,andrepressedpartsofthenarcissisticindividual’sownpsyche,whichareprojectedontothem.Theseprojectionsaresharedandaugmentedthroughanarcissismofsmalldifferences (Freud1991),whichallowsus to focusonandenlarge insignificant differences between ourselves and theOthers in order tosolidifyournegativeprojectionsandjustifyourcontemptandaggressiontowardthem.
The tyrant and his followers typically choose as vessels for their negativeprojectionsandaggressionthemembersofsocietywhoarenotjustdifferentbutweaker.Thetyrantfuelsthataggressioninordertosolidifyhispowerbutalsotodeflectitfromhimself,shieldhisownnarcissism,andrepairhisownnarcissisticinjuries dating to his childhood. The figure of the narcissistic parentalabuser/tyrant is protected through the scapegoating and the return to theauthoritarian,order-andobedience-basedmodeof social functioningpromisedbythetyrant,ashehimselfassumesthemantleoffather-protectoranddirectshisownandhissupporters’aggressionontotheOthers,whohavenothingtodowith
thosesupporters’realandperceivedwounds.The tyrant’s own narcissism hints at the level of woundedness in his
supporters. The greater their narcissistic injury, themore grandiose the leaderrequiredtorepairit.Whilehisgrandiosityappearsgrotesquetonon-narcissisticpeople who do not share his agenda, to his followers he represents all theirdeniedandthwartedgreatness,whichnow,underhisrule,willfinallyflourish.Hitler’sbizarredreamofaThousand-YearReichspreadupontheworlddidnotseemat all preposterousordangerous to somanyGermans suffering from thepain,humiliation,andprivationsinflicteduponthembythefiascoofWorldWarI, just as Stalin’s vision of communism as dictatorship of the working classtaking over theworld did not appear strange or dangerous to his beleagueredfollowers.Narcissismisblindtoitself.
Thenaturalconsequenceofscapegoating that stemsfrom theprojectionsofthenarcissist’sdevaluedpartsofhimselfisdehumanizationoftheOthers,whichthenjustifiesallkindsofatrocitiesperpetratedonthem.Theeasewithwhichthisattitude spreads in narcissistic groups is frightening, and indicative of anarcissistic rage that fuels it, a rage focused on purging, psychically andphysically, all that is weak and undesirable from the narcissists’ inner andexternalworlds.
Thatrage,alongwithdreamsofglory, iswhatmakesthebondbetweenthetyrant andhis followers so strong that it remains impervious to reality. It alsomakes the tyrant’s rule easier, as he does not have to exert himself much toinfect his followers with contempt for the dehumanized Others and inciteaggression against them. In fact, the tyrant’s permission for such aggressionappears to be a large part of his appeal to his blood- and revenge-thirstyfollowers.
The tyrant’s and his followers’ projections always revealmuch about theirownpathology.InhisprivatenotesaboutJewsinNazi-occupiedPoland,Hitler’spropaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, wrote that they were “not people
anymore”but“beastsofpreyequippedwithacold intellect” (Gellately2007),the latter description obviously more applicable to Goebbels and the Nazisthemselves than their victims (who, it must be stressed, were observed byGoebbelsincaptivity,underdehumanizingconditionsofghettolife).
Once we dehumanize the Others and imbue them with a murderousmotivation directed at us, we can easily rationalize any act of violence weperpetrateupon themas self-defense.Andso, removingenmasseandwithoutmercy those“beastsofprey”becameoneof themaingoalsof theNazis,whobelieved that Jews, Poles, Gypsies, and other non-Aryans threatened theirexistence.The fear,whethergenuineor faked, stemming from this falsebeliefwas used as a sufficient justification for mass murder on a scale unseenpreviouslyinthemodernworld.
Itmustbenotedthatthetyrant’ssupportersandespeciallysycophantswithinhis closest circle tend to share his character defect. The sycophantic echochamberaroundthetyrantmagnifiesbutalsohideshispathology.Hissurrogatesusually serve as ego substitutes to his rampaging id, and are responsible forintroducing and implementing his destructive plans in ways that would seemrationalandacceptabletothepublic.
Their role becomes more important with time, as he psychologicallydecompensates, which inevitably happens to narcissistic psychopaths inpositionsofultimatepower.Ashisparanoia,grandiosity,andimpulsivitygrow,hisaides, familymembers,andsurrogates, fearful for theirpositionsandoftentheir lives, scramble topreservean imageofhis“normalcy”andgreatness forpublic consumption to the very end. Their loyalty can be fierce and undying,unlikethatofthetyranthimself.
TheSocietyTyrantsdonotarise inavacuum, justas tyrannydoesnotspringontheworldunannounced.Ittakesyearsofcultivationofspecialconditionsinasocietyfora
tyranny to take over. Those conditions invariably include a growing andunbearablyoppressiveeconomicandsocialinequalityignoredbytheeliteswhobenefit from it, at least fora time; fear,moralconfusion,andchaos thatcomefrom that deepening inequality; a breakdown of social norms; and growingdisregard for the humanity of a large portion of the population and for highervalues. In effect, we could see that the pre-tyrannical societies, whethernominallydemocraticorbasedonotherformsofpoliticalorganization,exhibitsigns of a narcissistic pathologywrit large. Those involve the inevitable splitinto their grandiose and devalued parts, including those of the society’s self-image,andadenialoftheirshadow,whichisprojectedoutwardontoOthers.
Oppressive,dehumanizing(narcissistic)systems, likenarcissists themselves,cultivatetheirdelusionsofsuperiorityonthebasisofthatinternal,unseen,andunspokensplitbetweenthegrandioseblamelessI/Usandthedevalued,inferiorOthers.TheOthersbecomerepositoriesof thenarcissists’ repressedvices, justasthetyrantisthevesselfortheirgrandiosebeliefsaboutthemselves.
Another narcissistic aspect of such societies is the growing and ruthlesscompetition, jealousy, and aggression within its borders, but also directedexternally toward other nations in a scapegoatingmechanism that ismeant toprevent an internal breakdown of a society by redirecting its narcissistic rageontoexternalobjects.Oftentimes,thesevulnerablesocietiesreelfromsomeformof a narcissistic injury, such as the humiliation of a lost war, internationalsanctions, or treaties perceived as unfair, as Germany did after the Treaty ofVersaillesafterWorldWarI.
None of these processes is openly acknowledged or even noticed by themembers of the society, save by a few typically ignored Cassandras. Just asindividual narcissists are incapable of experiencing guilt, taking responsibilityfor their vices, or making genuine efforts to set things right in their lives,narcissistic societies also persist in their self-destructive blindness.While thechaos and discord brew in the underclasses, the elites, ensconced in their
narcissisticbubbles,remainoblivioustothesufferingoftheirfellowcitizensandthefateitportendsforthenation.
Fritz Stern (2005) has said that “German moderates and German elitesunderestimated Hitler, assuming that most people would not succumb to hisManicheanunreason;theydidnotthinkthathishatredandmendacitycouldbetakenseriously.”Hitlerwasseenbymanyasabombasticbutharmlessbuffoon,while many others, including members of clergy, intellectual elites, and thewealthywereneverthelessmesmerizedbyhisgrandvisionsofGermany’sfutureglory,andeagerlysupportedhisagenda.
Narcissismoftheelitesmakesthemaswellblindtotheencroachingtyranny.It is a convenient—andyes, narcissistic—myth that only the dispossessed anduninformedwouldsupportthetyrant.Itisnottheeconomicoreducationalstatusthat determines such susceptibility, but one’s narcissism, and that cuts acrosssocioeconomic strata. Dorothy Thompson describes it brilliantly in her 1941essay, “Who Goes Nazi?,” in which she identifies those threads of frustratedgrandiosity, resentments, andhatreds in thewell-heeled individuals’ charactersthatmakethemfallfortyrannicalideologiesandmovements.ShealsoobservesthosewhowouldnaturallyresistthetoxicpullofNazism,notingtheirhumilityanddepth.
Stern (2005) quotes a letter from philosopher and Nobel Prize–winningphysicist Carl Friedrich vonWeizsäcker, who confessed to him “that he hadneverbelievedinNaziideologybutthathehadbeentemptedbythemovement,whichseemedtohimthenlike‘theoutpouringoftheHolySpirit.’Onreflection,hethoughtthatNationalSocialismhadbeenpartofaprocessthattheNationalSocialists themselves had not understood. He may well have been right. TheNazis did not realize that they were part of a historic process in whichresentmentagainstadisenchantedsecularworldfounddeliveranceintheecstaticescapeofunreason.”
NotethattheprocessthattheNazisthemselveshadnotunderstoodisthevery
narcissistic collusion, a near-psychotic infection with this virus of grandiosityandrageonamassscale.Itisrarelygrasped,notevenfromtheperspectiveoftime,asourblindnessmakesitimpossibletoacknowledgeit,whichrendersournarcissismthelast tabooinaworld thathasdispensedwith taboos.Ourdenialandsocialamnesiafurtherentrenchourincomprehensionandensurethathistoryrepeatsitself.
Part of our forgetting involves distortions of historical and psychologicalfacts. Safely removed, time- anddistance-wise, from the latest tyranny-causedmayhem,we tend to imagine tyrants as instantly recognizable evil beings andtyranniesassomethingexoticenoughnevertohappentous.Butashistoryandexperience demonstrate, power-hungry narcissistic psychopaths do not lookdifferent from normal people; and if they stand out, it is often for sociallyapproved reasons: their resolve, charisma, decisiveness, and ability to inspireothers.
Notyrantcomestopowerontheplatformofgenocidaltyranny,eventhoughsuchideasmaybebrewingalreadyintherecessesofhismind.Eachandeveryone of them promises to bring back law and order, create better economicconditionsforthepeople,andrestorethenation’sglory.
Theseemptypromises—forthetyranthaslittledesireandevenlessabilitytofulfillthem—arealwaystiedtogetherwiththethreadofscapegoatingOthers,anecessary component that channels thenarcissistic rage outward and increasesthesociety’scohesion.Butthetyrantsowsdiscordanddivisionamonghisownpeoplesaswell.Hecannothelpit:pittingpeopleagainstoneanothersatisfieshisirrepressible sadisticurgeandmakes it easier forhim todominate andcontrolthem.
Thetyrantshowsupinasocietythatisalreadyweakenedbydisorder,blindtoit,andunableand/orunwillingtotakecorrectivemeasuresthatwouldpreventa tyrannical takeover.Once he and his sycophantic cabal assume power, theydeepenandwiden thedisorder,dismantlingandchanging the society’snorms,
institutions,andlawstofullyreflecttheirownpathology.Andrew Łobaczewski (2007) discusses at length the formation and
progression of pathocracies, political and other systems run bycharacterologically impaired individuals, predominantly psychopaths andnarcissists.Hedescribeshowpathocracieschangethesocietybytheintroductionof paralogisms, ways of distorting reality and truth; and paramoralisms,methods of perverting moral values. Under tyranny, paralogisms andparamoralisms are unleashed on a large scale through various propagandistmeans that include repetition of flat-out lies, accompanied by denials andobfuscations served through the increasingly centralized and controlledmedia.Fortifiedbymagicalthinkingandcontemptforreason,thesedistortionsleadtothe creation of the kind of absurdist unrealitywell known to people raised inauthoritarianregimes,whereupisdownandblackiswhite,andwherewhatoneknowstobetruemayhavenothingtodowiththeofficiallysanctionedversionofthetruth.
Wecanseethetyrant’sownpathologyinfluencingeveryareaofasociety’sfunctioning, from politics through culture and social mores to science andtechnology. What is being seen, said, and studied, and what’s ignored andsilenced,dependsonthetyrant’swhims,andsoonenoughthesocietyitselfandits ideology are structured inways thatmeet his pathological needs for powerandadulation.Theimplementationofthisideologyisusuallyagradualprocess,one that is eventually reinforced by the use of violence against persistentobjectors.
As freedom of speech, the press, and assembly disappears and the tyrant’sdestructive“reforms”takehold,anethosoftheNewMan,anidealofahumanbeingcompatiblewiththedisorderedideology,isforceduponthepopulace.
This New Man is a dehumanized caricature of a human person, usuallyexemplifying the tyrant’s distorted views and thus meeting his pathologicalneeds,mainlyfordominanceandadulation.He—wewillusethemalepronoun,
but there isofcourseacompatibleversionof theNewWoman togowith theNewMan—iswhollydevotedtotheCauseandtheLeader(which,intyrannies,are often one and the same, an ultimate expression of the tyrant’s narcissism)andactsinprescribedwaysmeanttodemonstratethisdevotioninhislife.HeroworshipandutmostloyaltybecomepartsoftheNewMan’sprescribedbehavior,reinforced by new laws and norms, but also by individuals who eagerlycooperatewiththeauthoritarianrulesbyspyingonanddenouncingtheirfellowcitizens’ideologicallyimproperbehavior.
Our human propensity to submit to inhumane rules established bypathologicalauthoritycannotbeoverestimated.Wehaveplentyofhistoricalandcontemporaryevidenceforit,aswellasexperimentaldata(Milgram1974).Anapprovingnodfromanauthorityfigure,nomatterhowinsignificantorevenreal,can easily absolveus of responsibility in ourminds andoverride any scruplesimposedbyourconscience,provingitsperplexingmalleability.
The ease with which many so-called normal people shut down theirconscience makes them not very different from functional psychopaths. Thisdisturbing fact of human life is something the tyrant counts on when heestablisheshisreign.Heknowsthathecanexpectloyaltyfromhisfollowersandsuccessfully demand it from the majority of society. And those unwilling tofollowhisdictatesand/oractivelyopposingthemwillbeeliminated.
The New Man’s thoughts must of course change, too, to better aid histransformation. Thus, the criteria of mental normalcy and pathology also areredefined,andpsychologyandpsychiatry,likeotherbranchesofsocialscience,arecooptedtoservetheregime.What’sconsiderednormal,bothinthesenseofstatistical norm and mental health, is in fact pathological, and mental health,defined as the capacity for multilevel and multidimensional development, ispathologized.
The easewithwhich the tyrannical ideology spreads is always greater thanwe want to imagine. Our narcissistic blindness makes it impossible for us to
believethatitcouldhappenhereandthatwe,too,couldbeassusceptibletoitasanyotherhumanbeingsinhistory.
Tyrannyfeedsontheirrationalityofnarcissisticmythsandmagicalthinking,eventhoughitsideologymaybedisguisedashyperrationalism,aswasthecasewith communism. In this, it very much resembles the narcissisticallypsychopathiccharacterofthetyranthimself:solipsistic,withdrawnfromreality,and full of grandiose and paranoid beliefs impervious to the correctiveinfluencesofobjectivefacts.
Thesepathologicalfactorsensurethateventuallythetyrant’sreigncollapses.Theinherentandviolentirrationality,bereftofinternalbrakesthatstemfromaconscience, and unchecked by external forces, is themain reason tyrants andtheir regimes are doomed to fail (Glad 2002). Their growing malignancy(corruption,aggression,andoppression)provokesopposition,whicheventuallybringsthetyrannydown,butnotuntilitspillagingandviolentreigncreatemuchhumansuffering.Theresetofasociety’smoresthatfollowsthetragicaftermathofatyrannicalruleusuallyleadstoagreaterappreciationfortheimportanceofuniversalhumanvalues(equality, justice, truth,andcompassion),but ifcare isnot taken to implement these values in consistent practice, our narcissistictendenciescreepinandleadtosocialdisorder,makingussusceptibletotyrannyagain.Given our growing potential for self-destruction, the stakes go upwitheverytyrannicalturn.
ConclusionNarcissism is as much a character problem as it is an error in our thinking.Seeingoneselfas“above”isthegeneralattitudeofanarcissisttowardtheworld,andtheerrorofthetyrantandhisfollowers.Thiserrorappearstogripmanyso-called civilized human societies, and is especially pronounced in those whereinequality grows despite any official sloganeering to the contrary. Ournarcissism iswhatgives rise to inequality,and inequality fuelsournarcissism.
Theresultantsufferinganddespair,alongwithadesireforrevenge,areamongthenecessaryconditionsfortheemergenceoftyranny.
AsBurkle(2015)observes,weareseeingaresurgenceoftyrannicalleadersaround the globe, even in nations that supposedly have learned the lessons oftyrannies past in the most painful ways. It is a sign of our pressing need toreckonwithourcollectiveshadow.
Ifweasaspeciesaretoflourishandprosper,weneedtounderstandthatoururgent and necessary task is to transcend and dismantle our narcissism, bothindividualandcollective.
ElizabethMika,M.A.,L.C.P.C.,ofGiftedResourcesinNorthernIllinois(in theChicagoarea),receivedherdegree inclinicalpsychology fromAdam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland. She specializes inassessment and counseling of gifted children and adults. Herprofessional interests include creativity and mental health, learningdifferencesandlearningstyles,multipleexceptionalities,andemotionalandmoraldevelopment.
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