“A Hubris CEO of a large multinational company could make uncalculated decisions, causing the company to go bankrupt and therefore negatively impacting the overall economy. Similarly, a Hubris political leader may cause a 1000’s of years old nation, to collapse in one decade or less. Hubris leaders will cause substantial damage wherever they are.”
Engy Shahbander
The bright side of most leaders’ personalities is their intelligence, perseverance, charisma which is often coupled with the ability to inspire and persuade the masses, such qualities may be very beneficial to a nation if utilized for its benefit, which is exactly where the problem lies – Who gets to decide the benefit of the nation? Are there set definitions and criteria of “the benefit of the nation” or is it open for interpretation? The reality is that definitions and interpretations, are often set by the leaders themselves. They tend to have extreme pride and overconfidence, as well as a complete disregard for the “intellect” of others. They are powerful and have the means to “impose” their vision on everyone else, while punishing those who dare to oppose them. These character traits, can be summarized by the term “hubris”. In Greek mythology, Hubris describes the behavior of an individual who defies the norms or challenges the gods. Perpetrators of Hubris are usually punished by the Greek gods for their arrogance, however, such a punishment, seldom occurs in real life by society.
Lord Owen, a neuropsychiatrist, peace negotiator and former British Foreign Secretary, and Jonathan Davidson, a member of the House of Lords and psychiatrist at Duke University Medical Center offered a classification for such behavior, and labeled it as, “Hubris Syndrome”, which is acquired after attainment of power. The are fourteen symptoms of hubris syndrome identified by Owen and Davidson. In researching these symptoms, they noted that Hubris syndrome shares quite a few symptoms with cluster B personality disorders, which are characterized by dramatic, unpredictable thinking or behavior and grandiose ideas of one’s self. Amongst those disorders, is Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), Antisocial Disorder (APD) and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD). NPD was especially emphasized by the authors, as 50% of Hubris syndrome symptoms are in common with it. Being a personality disorder that involves exaggerated feelings of self-importance, excessive need for admiration, and a lack of empathy towards others, such an overlap doesn’t come as a surprise, with the first five being unique to Hubris syndrome:
- An identification with the nation or organization – A tendency to speak of themselves in the third person or use the royal ‘we’. For example, in his manifesto confirming the abdication of Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich, Emperor Alexander I begins: “By the Grace of God, We, Alexander I, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias…”.[1]
- A belief that rather than being accountable to the mundane court of colleagues or public opinion, the real court to which they answer is much greater: history or god – “Condemn me; it does not matter. History will absolve me…” -Fidel Castro .[2]
- An unshakable belief that in that they will be vindicated by god. Hubiristic leaders tend to feel that god is on their side, and therefore, they will always win!
- Restlessness, recklessness and impulsiveness- Engaging in wars or large projects without proper studies of the outcomes.
- A tendency to allow their ‘broad vision’, especially their conviction about the moral rectitude of a proposed course of action, to obviate the need to consider other aspects of it, such as its practicality, cost and the possibility of unwanted outcomes.
- A propensity to see the world primarily as an arena in which to exercise power and seek glory: Homeland or death! Socialism or death! We shall overcome -Fidel Castro .[3]
- A predisposition to take actions which seem likely to cast the individual in a good light – taken in part in order to enhance their image. Hubiristic leaders tend to perform atrocities towards their people, under the pretext of protecting the nation. “I want you to know that everything I did, I did for my country…” -Pol Pot .[4]
- A disproportionate concern with image and presentation – Most hubiristic dictators will be show on television performing various acts of “kindness”, such as; playing with children, helping the elderly, building houses of worship… etc.
- A messianic way of talking and a tendency to exaltation in speech and manner- Hubiristic leaders will often claim that they are representing god on earth and that their actions are direct commands from God.
- Excessive confidence in the individual’s own judgement and contempt for the advice or criticism of others. Hubristic leaders tend to have unlimited confidence in their judgment, they will either disregard their advisors recommendations or not consult with them at all.
- Exaggerated self-belief, bordering on a sense of omnipotence, in what they personally can achieve. Hubiristic leaders tend to feel they can accomplish miracles. They tend to engage in wars and lose them, or large economic projects without proper feasibility studies.
- Loss of contact with reality; often associated with progressive isolation. They will contradict reality and proven facts, and make statements about prosperity and advancements of their nation or organization.
- Incompetence in carrying out a policy, where things go wrong precisely because too much self-confidence has led the leader not to worry about the nuts and bolts of a policy. Again this is a result of over-confidence. They believe their abilities are significantly superior to others, that their execution will be successful regardless of the attention to detail.
“Owen and Davidson studied the psychological profiles of the UK Prime Ministers and US Presidents in power in the last century, looking for hubristic traits and hubris syndrome. They found a few US presidents who displayed solid hubristic traits: the two Roosevelts, Woodrow Wilson, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon. However, George W Bush was the only one to display the full blown syndrome.
Amongst UK prime ministers — Herber Asquith, David Lloyd George, Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Margaret Thatcher, and Tony Blair displayed hubristic traits, with Lloyd George, Chamberlain, Thatcher and Blair, displaying the full blown syndrome.”
Hubris syndrome isn’t limited to political leaders, any person in a position of considerable power, can suffer from Hubris. Although, Hubris syndrome is not a formal diagnosis and has not been yet accepted by the medical community, a formal diagnosis is necessary in a world full of wars and injustice. Some may question the importance of such a diagnosis, since Hubris leaders are not likely to accept the idea of them being hubris, let alone seek treatment. However such a formal diagnosis will allow for more research, which will enable us to understand the dynamics of interaction of Hubris leaders and others. A Hubris CEO of a large multinational company could make uncalculated decisions, causing the company to go bankrupt and therefore negatively impacting the overall economy. Similarly, a Hubris political leader may cause a 1000’s of years old nation, to collapse in one decade or less. Hubris leaders will cause substantial damage wherever they are. “Be aware of Hubris leaders”- should be the slogan of voters and HR personnel!
Written By: Dr. Engy Shahbander
References:
Owen, David & Davidson, Jonathan. (2014). Brain - Owen & Davidson Hubris 2009
1- “Russian Imperial House – Manifesto of Emperor Alexander I, Confirming the Abdication of Tsesarevich and Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich and Designating Grand Duke Nicholas Pavlovich as Heir, 16 August 1823”. www.imperialhouse.ru.
3- https://www.themastonline.com/2019/04/14/well-never-abandon-venezuela-castro/