The psychology of authoritarian rulers behaviors
This post concerns the bad behavior of “want to be” and actual dictators. Typical authoritarian personality types are a mixture of several bad behaviors. There are maybe a 100 good reasons, I am writing this today. I wrote about Mr. Piggy a few days ago. Thus this post documents the psychology of authoritarian rulers. All things considered, in the last few days I have had Russian hackers attempt to get on my websites. So this is my way of fighting back at them. Currently, in the United States we have had an issue with Mr. Piggy taking over one of our political parties. We have, in our past United States history, had groups of anti democratic groups show up. Pretty much this happens often in human history. We have had our strong men types appear since written records. Psychologist really did not start studying their behavior officially till the 1990’s.
Before the current psychological studies
The unofficial study’s were done by the covert intelligence agencies and historians before then. George Washington used these in the American revolution! In my past, I had access to some of these documents. They were about leaders the military profiled in World War II. We had profiles on the following leaders, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, the Japanese high command, Josef Stalin, Winston Churchill and other European leaders before World War II.
Psychology put a name to it in the late 1990’s
Machiavellianism is a personality trait characterized by manipulativeness, deceitfulness, high levels of self-interest, and a tendency to use other people as means to an end. People who display especially elevated levels of Machiavellianism—referred to by some psychologists as “high-Machs”—lack empathy and take a cynical, unemotional view of the world; their primary interests center on power and status, and they’ll do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals.
The trait was named for Niccolò Machiavelli, a 16th-century author and political philosopher who argued in works like The Prince that kings and other rulers should do whatever is necessary to seize and maintain their power. Today, some evidence suggests that people high in Machiavellianism are more likely to pursue high-power careers such as politics or law. Machiavellianism, along with narcissism and psychopathy, make up a collection of unpleasant and closely related personality traits known as the dark triad.
So how do you figure out these types of people?
It is easy. You watch and listen to what they say and do. As one lawyer who took down Trump’s scam University said. “You follow the lies and the money”. You look at how they treat other people around them. So the best way to illustrate this is to give examples.
Example #1
Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) thought he would gain favor with former president Donald Trump by showing up at Trump’s January 19 campaign stop in New Hampshire. Instead, the former GOP presidential candidate set himself up to be a foil for one of Trump’s favorite activities: debasing others, preferably in front of an audience of millions.
What Trump said “Did you ever think [Haley] actually supported you, Tim? And you’re the senator of her state…You must really hate her,” a smirking Trump said, referring to Nikki Haley’s pledge to support Trump if he becomes the GOP nominee. Scott intervened in the only way he knew to end this embarrassing spectacle: giving Trump what he wanted. “I just love you,” he told Trump. “That’s why he’s a great politician,” Trump declared with a self-satisfied smile.
Embarrassing Tim Scott
Tim Scott was caught in a double bind thus was debasing and humiliated by Trump. Trump loves to make up debasing names for others. The double bind is a psychological tool used by authoritarian rulers to humiliate you. They give you two choices, neither good! I learned about this in high school from our class mate who loved to humiliate others.
Example #2
Meanwhile, in Moscow Tucker Carlson thought he would earn points with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His interview in February interview, was a chance for Putin to rewrite history. Putin, granted Carlson two hours of his time. Surely this would further Carlson’s ambitions to be the Joseph Goebbels of today’s global far right!
Instead, Putin burst his bubble, revealing to the world that years ago Carlson had tried to join the CIA but had been rejected. “Maybe we should thank God they didn’t let you in… [T]hey have always been our opponents,” Putin “joked,” implying that Carlson would not have been available for Kremlin propaganda services had he gone into the intelligence business. Again the put down and humiliation.
The look on Carlson’s face shows that he neglected one key area in whatever background research he did: Putin’s love of taking down others, using his knowledge of their secrets and weaknesses to deflate them and throw them off guard.
Thus we have strongman’s favorite sport!
These two episodes introduce us to a favorite strongman sport: . Autocrats are fragile and insecure creatures. They are always looking over their shoulder to see who is after them. To build themselves up and deter others from challenging their power. They take others down in public. This lets other know exactly where they stand and how much they scorn them. Ritual humiliation also translates into governmental practices which create an environment in which no one feels safe. No matter how much of the leader’s dirty work they do and how many compliments they bestow on him. These leaders never lack a steady supply of opportunists and profiteers who are all too willing to play his game to the detriment of their dignity. In the United States, the GOP is the latest example of this sport. In Russia, the choice of murder has historical meaning of power for the strongman ruler, it is part of their culture!
The strongman’s Divide and Rule behavior
Divide and rule is one way that autocrats maintain an atmosphere of insecurity among their enablers and collaborators. Officials are pitted against each other for the affections of the leader. The leader creates frequent upheavals of cabinet positions and those around them. This keeps the minions in competition with one another and loyal only to him.
Authoritarian Governments Are Very Destructive and Unstable
Divide and rule is a window into the dysfunction of authoritarian governance. Here are the examples:
- Every few years Il Duce fired more than half of his cabinet and undersecretaries to make sure no official felt too secure in his position.
- Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet reshuffled his cabinet 49 times (ministers lasted an average of 10 months).
- Adolf Hitler was an exception in this regard in keeping collaborators such as Goebbels in place for many years. Others in his administration not so much.
- Personnel changes are prime opportunities for public humiliation (favorite sport). Note – Hitler used the courts to humiliate those he disliked. Often they were given over large pants with no belts or suspenders. So they had to hold them up during their trial.
- Officials might learn they have been fired by seeing a headline in the newspaper, as happened to Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party secretary Giovanni Giurati in 1931.
- While on camera at a government rally (a favorite Mobutu Sese Seko tactic)
- Pinochet loved to order his ministers to resign en masse and announce on television which ones would remain.
- Social media adds another dimension: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson learned he had been fired in 2018 while scrolling through Twitter.
Authoritarians create unstable environments
Therefore, over time the upheaval created by divide and rule produces a political class too weakened by rivalries to conspire against the leader. They are too cowed to tell him unwelcome truths. It also encourages dependency on the leader and participation in his corruption schemes. These manipulations makes subordinates even more vulnerable. At any moment they could be accused of corruption and punished. Thus, the unstable environment creates learned helplessness for the followers!
Notes:
- Putin knows all about these skills as he got a PhD in the 1990’s and studied these behaviors. Also he was in the Soviet KGB. Thus, being nasty happens in their training!
- I found it interesting that the people around trump did not figure out his divide and rule strategy. They were supposed learned people who had resources. Therefore, his staff was chosen so he could control them! We see the effects of learned helplessness in his former staff members still years afterwards!
- Many business leaders are not trained to recognize emotional manipulation. Business schools don’t train for many skills in leadership positions.
Now Trump brings these Autocratic Tradition to America
Trump has used ritual humiliation and divide and rule to make the GOP his personal tool.
- His administration had a record 68% turnover of high-level positions.
- The list of Republicans he has mocked publicly is very long there are websites devoted to his slander.
- In classic autocratic tradition, the more loyalty Republicans show Trump, sticking with him through impeachments, indictments, and a coup attempt that sent them running for their lives on 1/6/2021.
- He scorns them, losing few opportunities to cut them down in public and in his rally’s.
- Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz are examples of this abuse!
- Thus there is nothing they can do – so they feel helpless and without power.
- This undermined their power as GOP candidates by pledging support for him. Only one stood up against him!
- A rival candidate, on live television during the first GOP debate, can make them immune from this treatment.
As willing accomplices in their debasement, GOP politicians likely don’t want to know what to do. Only by taking the opposite tack and standing up to the strongman. They then expose him as a weak fearful individual. Then maybe the humiliation will end. They need to disengage from the Trump cult.
Those who stand up better look out
The advice from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She was a veteran of many attempts by Putin to humiliate her publicly. He kept her waiting to see him for hours. He unleashed an attack dog near her to trigger her fear of canines.
Angela Merkel stated “I understand why he has to do this, to prove he’s a man. He’s afraid of his own weakness,” “Russia has nothing, no successful politics or economy. All they have is this.” Putin loved to create fear as do other dark triad types! Putin loves to torture and kill his opponents. See this documented here. They fall out of windows, often killed with their family together. Trump uses fear of law suits on those who challenge him. Few fight back. E. Jean Carroll chose to fight back. She won. However, Trump uses delay tactics to not pay people. It took her six years to win!
Per Professor Ben-Ghiat
Any society can be susceptible to strongman figures if it’s the right time. If you have a leader who has the dark triad psychology factors. Mary Trump, Donald’s niece has a PhD in psychology. Donald’s father want his sons to be “killers”. Mary documented this behavior in her book. Consequently, both Trump and Putin use this “killer instinct” in their culture on those who stand up to them!
Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat: “The most successful of authoritarian rulers are the ones who know how to play on that ‘we.’ And they make themselves personally the embodiment of the nation of that ‘we.’ Often they say, if you attack me, you’re attacking the whole nation. Donald posted on Truth Social: “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU.” He wants to be a killer!
But What Happens over time!
However, now he appears weak and ineffective at being able to get results by intimidation. As E. Jean Carroll pointed out after her court appearance. He was like a wimp and loser sitting in court. Her exact words “when we were in the courtroom, and Robbie went to the lectern, she said, “Good morning, E. Jean. Please state your name and spell it for the jury, for the court.” “And there he was, and he was nothing. Just, no power. He had, he was zero. I was flabbergasted. And from then on, we just sailed through.”
The following questions and answers, these are important!
- Harlow: “Did you did you make eye contact with him?”
- Carroll: “Many times.”
- Harlow: “And what was that like?”
- Carroll: “He’s an emperor without clothes. It’s like looking at nothing. It was like nothing.”
Significantly, this illustrates taking back your power from an emotional state of “learned helplessness” caused by dark triad person’s attacks!
Other current dark triad leaders on our planet
In Turkey we have president Erdogan. For him anyone who against his government is a terrorist. Erdogan is a typical authoritarian personality with all of his insult suits. 21st century authoritarians use the law and lawsuits to financially and psychologically exhaust people. In Hungary, we have Viktor Mihály Orbán doing the same things.
In Psychology we have learned helplessness
Authoritarians want people to be hopeless. In psychology the term learned helplessness describes this behavior. The emotional feeling that they have no power. In political situations they give up. Thus, the learned helplessness of the victims. We have the cases of the enemies of the authoritarian ruler. Those who stand up to them. Alexei Navalny vs Putin shows how they use those who stand up to them as examples of their power. For Trump, he used body humiliation of Chris Christy by calling him fat.
Those killed by Hitler and other Dark triad types in history. Here is a partial list.
Coping Skills to deal with Dark Triad Leaders
I got my second masters degree in counseling psychology. At the time I needed it and it has helped me since. During my courses, I learned about learned helplessness. There are coping skills we can use against them. I will list some of these emotional/coping skills.
- Learn to recognize gas lighting – dark triad types use lying extensively to humiliate and control your reality.
- Seek truth by educating yourself about psychology and history
- Learn about emotional intelligence
- Read books about history and how propaganda works (see references).
- Get counseling help to develop coping skills.
- Avoid disinformation and those who spread it!
- Write down and reflect on your life daily for insights
References for The psychology of authoritarian rulers:
- The Dictator’s Handbook, by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita
- How propaganda works, by Jason Stanley
- How Fascism Works, By Jason Stanley
- The Dark Triad and Deception Perceptions, Paper by Benno Gerrit Wissing and Marc-André Reinhard
- Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump PhD
In Summary
Dear gentle readers. Please share this post with friends. Education is the main tool against tyranny and tyrants. We want a free world where in the near future we don’t have Dark Triad leaders. Those who follow them are often on the dark triad psychology scale. My purpose of this post is to clearly show the psychology used by current Tyrants. Also to provide a way to give yourself power.
This blog post is dedicated to Alexei Navalny. May Russia and our world be free of Putin and other dark triad leaders!