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Someone with a personality disorder, thinks, feels, relates and behaves very differently from your average person.

Andrzej Lobaczewski

Polish psychiatrist, Andrzej Lobaczewski, has studied the relationship between power and personality disorders after having been persecuted and tortured under the Nazis, and then living under Soviet rule. He recognised that ruthless and disturbed individuals were strongly drawn to political power and devised the term ‘pathocracy’ to describe a system of government where a small pathological minority takes control over a society of psychologically normal people.

The Lobaczewski 'Research'

According to Lobaczewski, pathocracy starts when a chaotic individual emerges as a leader figure. While some are appalled by the brutality and irresponsibility of the leader, his disordered personality also appeals to some psychologically normal individuals.

They find him charismatic, confident and fearless. Other people with psychopathic traits soon emerge seeing an opportunity to gain power and influence. At the same time, responsible and moral people gradually leave the government, either by resigning or because they have been ejected.

In an inevitable process, the government is filled with people with a pathological lack of empathy and conscience, having been filled by a minority of people with personality disorders, who assume power over the majority. Once they possess power, pathocrats devote themselves to establishing, increasing, and protecting their power, with little regard for the welfare of others.

To the public, the pathocratic government can be seen to be a compelling ideology, promoting notions of future greatness, with a need to defeat alleged enemies who stand in the way of this great future. The government uses propaganda to fuel hatred towards others, and to create a cult of personality around the leader. In the general population, there seems to be an exciting sense of belonging to a mass movement, inspiring loyalty, and self-sacrifice.

Lessons from USA

It is hard to avoid comparisons with Donald Trump’s presidency in the USA. It is easy to identify many of the elements of pathocracy in Trump’s presidency. There was an exodus of conscientious figures from the administration, who were replaced by loyalists. Trump’s simplistic ‘make America great again’ agenda is an example of promoting a notion of future greatness.
Many psychologists and other mental health professionals have voiced concern about Trump. The psychologist John Gartner said Trump "suffers from an incurable malignant narcissism that makes him incapable of carrying out his presidential duties and poses a danger to the nation". The president’s niece, Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist, also stated her belief that Trump suffers from narcissism and other psychological conditions.

The UK Example

Also true for the UK, authoritarian leaders with psychopathic or narcissistic traits distrust democracy and do their best to dismantle and discredit democratic institutions, including the freedom and legitimacy of the press. As we have seen recently in the UK such leaders are unable to comprehend the principles of democracy, since they regard themselves as superior, and see life as a competition, in which the most ruthless deserve to dominate others and yet their charismatic personalities attract seemingly normal voters.

Unfortunately, the values and structures of modern capitalist societies, favour psychopathic and narcissistic traits. In societies where competition and exploitation are condoned, people with high levels of ruthlessness and a lack of empathy thrive, since they are more manipulative and exploitative than others, and are not constrained by feelings of guilt or conscience. It is for these reasons, that such individuals are attracted to political positions.

Conclusion

Thankfully, Lobaczewski noted that pathocracies never become permanent, stating they are destined to fail, because their brutality and lack of moral principles are not shared by much of the population, who possess empathy and conscience. This was true of the two pathocracies that Lobaczewski himself experienced, Nazi Germany and the communist regime of Poland.

Here in the UK the opinion polls are indicating a possible end to the right-wing governments of the last 13 years with a surge in support for a more democratic government. Of course, you need to be instrumental in the change you want to see in the world and being proactive is part of that change. Making difference decisions is another part of that change.

Source: https://www.bps.org.uk