I had to giggle (darkly) at the image of George Marshall and Harry Truman’s shades listening to the spoiled kid from Santa Monica explain the “iron rules” of the world.
What happens when a war is run by two very damaged men?
The psychology of someone in power bringing ruin to all is generally rooted in a combination of narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy (the "Dark Triad"), and a phenomenon known as hubris syndrome, which is an acquired personality change resulting from the possession of immense power. This state often leads to reduced empathy, impaired judgment, intense egocentrism, and a reckless disregard for the well-being of others.
Psychological research suggests that power does not necessarily turn good people bad, but rather amplifies existing narcissistic or antisocial traits, giving them the "psychological freedom" to act on selfish impulses.
Here is a breakdown of the key psychological factors:
1. The "Dark Triad" and Personality Traits
Narcissism: Power causes individuals to develop a grandiose sense of self-importance and a desperate need for admiration. They believe they are special and entitled, leading to reckless decision-making that ignores the consequences for others.
Machiavellianism: These leaders view social interactions as power games and use manipulation, deceit, and ruthlessness to gain personal control.
Psychopathy: Manifests as a total lack of empathy and remorse, allowing leaders to destroy careers, organizations, or lives without guilt, often faking emotions to charm or deceive.
2. Hubris Syndrome and "Exception-Making"
As power becomes intoxicating, leaders develop a "hubris syndrome"—a disorder of the possession of power characterized by a sense of self-entitlement, grandiosity, and lost connection with reality.
Exception-Making: They believe the rules and laws that apply to others do not apply to them, leading to moral corruption and high-risk behavior.
The Power Paradox: The very traits that help people attain power—empathy, collaboration, and openness—are often lost once they achieve it, replaced by impulsivity and self-centeredness.
3. Cognitive Distortion and Faulty Feedback
The Bubble Effect: Powerful individuals often surround themselves with sycophants who tell them what they want to hear. This creates a "bubble" where the leader receives flawed feedback, causing them to believe their worst decisions are brilliant.
Cognitive Paralysis: They fail to learn from mistakes, believing their past successes mean they are infallible, leading to continued disastrous decisions (e.g., in business, the financial crisis of 2008).
4. Reduced Empathy and Objectification
Neurological studies suggest that high power can desensitize the brain, reducing "mirroring" (the brain process that helps us feel empathy).
Objectification: They see people not as human beings with needs, but as tools, pawns, or objects to be used for their personal, financial, or ego-driven goals.
5. Addiction to Power
Power acts similarly to a drug, creating a dopaminergic alteration where the brain craves more control and status. To maintain this "fix," they will sacrifice the stability of their organization or nation. When confronted with the damage they have caused, they often shift blame or react with immense rage, further escalating the ruin.
Personalized Power: These leaders use power for personal gains, including wealth, prestige, and dominance.
Scorched Earth: If they feel their power is threatened, they may "burn their own lives to the ground" (or their organization/nation) rather than relinquish control, often rationalizing this ruin as necessary for survival.
In essence, the ruin is caused by a person who has lost the capacity for self-reflection, perceives themselves as a savior or genius, and treats the rest of the world as replaceable extensions of their own ego.
Um, is your class available on-line? Also, juxtaposition of articles like this one with ones like this "American Foreign Policy Is Being Run by the Dumbest Motherfuckers Alive" is just delicious.
I had the same question. And yes, I too love the honesty, the plainspokenness, the scholarly exposition all mixed together in the writings of the inestimable HWSHADW ("hard-working staff..."). This essay was brilliant!
Stephen Miller: “We're a superpower. And under President Trump, we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower.”
And here I thought that the United States had conducted itself like a superpower since the end of WWII: defeating the Soviet Union, establishing the current international order, trivial stuff like that. It’s good to know that we are now acting like a REAL superpower: destroying our credibility, punishing our friends and rewarding our enemies, stuff that lesser men describe as foolish and self-destructive.
Speculative whiteness: science fiction and the alt-right by Jordan S Carroll argues that science fiction is lousy with right wing ideological crap and in the stuff that's anti fascist or at least anti authoritarian the alt right or far right take the 90% where the fascists or authoritarians are winning and ignore the part where they lose or are clearly the villains. A prime example of this was that insane border patrol video using the Vader scene at the end of Rogue One where they identify as Vader slicing through their enemies. Their whole thing seems to be read somebody's tldr of the cliff notes and reinterpret that to fuel their fantasies. It'd be hilarious if they were just the 'Nazi child masturbating in the bathroom' as Benoit Blanc put it. https://www.newsbreak.com/mediaite-520570/4173333908634-trump-dhs-gives-absolutely-stunning-clap-back-to-john-oliver-on-bizarre-darth-vader-video
I had to giggle (darkly) at the image of George Marshall and Harry Truman’s shades listening to the spoiled kid from Santa Monica explain the “iron rules” of the world.
What an ultramaroon, as Bugs would say.
What happens when a war is run by two very damaged men?
The psychology of someone in power bringing ruin to all is generally rooted in a combination of narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy (the "Dark Triad"), and a phenomenon known as hubris syndrome, which is an acquired personality change resulting from the possession of immense power. This state often leads to reduced empathy, impaired judgment, intense egocentrism, and a reckless disregard for the well-being of others.
Psychological research suggests that power does not necessarily turn good people bad, but rather amplifies existing narcissistic or antisocial traits, giving them the "psychological freedom" to act on selfish impulses.
Here is a breakdown of the key psychological factors:
1. The "Dark Triad" and Personality Traits
Narcissism: Power causes individuals to develop a grandiose sense of self-importance and a desperate need for admiration. They believe they are special and entitled, leading to reckless decision-making that ignores the consequences for others.
Machiavellianism: These leaders view social interactions as power games and use manipulation, deceit, and ruthlessness to gain personal control.
Psychopathy: Manifests as a total lack of empathy and remorse, allowing leaders to destroy careers, organizations, or lives without guilt, often faking emotions to charm or deceive.
2. Hubris Syndrome and "Exception-Making"
As power becomes intoxicating, leaders develop a "hubris syndrome"—a disorder of the possession of power characterized by a sense of self-entitlement, grandiosity, and lost connection with reality.
Exception-Making: They believe the rules and laws that apply to others do not apply to them, leading to moral corruption and high-risk behavior.
The Power Paradox: The very traits that help people attain power—empathy, collaboration, and openness—are often lost once they achieve it, replaced by impulsivity and self-centeredness.
3. Cognitive Distortion and Faulty Feedback
The Bubble Effect: Powerful individuals often surround themselves with sycophants who tell them what they want to hear. This creates a "bubble" where the leader receives flawed feedback, causing them to believe their worst decisions are brilliant.
Cognitive Paralysis: They fail to learn from mistakes, believing their past successes mean they are infallible, leading to continued disastrous decisions (e.g., in business, the financial crisis of 2008).
4. Reduced Empathy and Objectification
Neurological studies suggest that high power can desensitize the brain, reducing "mirroring" (the brain process that helps us feel empathy).
Objectification: They see people not as human beings with needs, but as tools, pawns, or objects to be used for their personal, financial, or ego-driven goals.
5. Addiction to Power
Power acts similarly to a drug, creating a dopaminergic alteration where the brain craves more control and status. To maintain this "fix," they will sacrifice the stability of their organization or nation. When confronted with the damage they have caused, they often shift blame or react with immense rage, further escalating the ruin.
6. Destructive Self-Interest (vs. Socialized Power)
Personalized Power: These leaders use power for personal gains, including wealth, prestige, and dominance.
Scorched Earth: If they feel their power is threatened, they may "burn their own lives to the ground" (or their organization/nation) rather than relinquish control, often rationalizing this ruin as necessary for survival.
In essence, the ruin is caused by a person who has lost the capacity for self-reflection, perceives themselves as a savior or genius, and treats the rest of the world as replaceable extensions of their own ego.
Seems about right.
I was a science geek, but even I read my Thucidides and Machiavelli and understood the underlying themes.
Great piece as usual.
Um, is your class available on-line? Also, juxtaposition of articles like this one with ones like this "American Foreign Policy Is Being Run by the Dumbest Motherfuckers Alive" is just delicious.
I had the same question. And yes, I too love the honesty, the plainspokenness, the scholarly exposition all mixed together in the writings of the inestimable HWSHADW ("hard-working staff..."). This essay was brilliant!
Stephen Miller: “We're a superpower. And under President Trump, we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower.”
And here I thought that the United States had conducted itself like a superpower since the end of WWII: defeating the Soviet Union, establishing the current international order, trivial stuff like that. It’s good to know that we are now acting like a REAL superpower: destroying our credibility, punishing our friends and rewarding our enemies, stuff that lesser men describe as foolish and self-destructive.
"Boastful ignorance"...excellent summary of the "intellect" infusing this regime of Know-Nothings, racists, and just plain criminals.
Speculative whiteness: science fiction and the alt-right by Jordan S Carroll argues that science fiction is lousy with right wing ideological crap and in the stuff that's anti fascist or at least anti authoritarian the alt right or far right take the 90% where the fascists or authoritarians are winning and ignore the part where they lose or are clearly the villains. A prime example of this was that insane border patrol video using the Vader scene at the end of Rogue One where they identify as Vader slicing through their enemies. Their whole thing seems to be read somebody's tldr of the cliff notes and reinterpret that to fuel their fantasies. It'd be hilarious if they were just the 'Nazi child masturbating in the bathroom' as Benoit Blanc put it. https://www.newsbreak.com/mediaite-520570/4173333908634-trump-dhs-gives-absolutely-stunning-clap-back-to-john-oliver-on-bizarre-darth-vader-video
Wow, that last paragraph actually describes Trump quite well!
"Knowledge is knowing that Frankenstein wasn’t the monster. Wisdom is knowing that Frankenstein was the monster.”