Author: Vicente Sitoe

I recently remembered a question that one of my classmates asked the professor of the Psychology of Deviant Behavior course: whether it was possible to make a psychological diagnosis remotely, without contact with the patient.

Virtual diagnosis, which is what it is technically called, is a common practice. Although it is not ethical or scientifically accurate to diagnose people, including leaders, with mental health conditions without a professional clinical assessment, from a distance it is possible to raise hypotheses about their mental health. Historians, psychologists and leadership scholars often point to behaviors associated with pathological narcissism (or Narcissistic Personality Disorder - NPD) in historical and political figures based on their actions and legacy. Pathological narcissism is not a condition that automatically leads to authoritarianism or chaos. There are leaders with narcissistic traits who can channel them positively. Some level of narcissism can be useful for inspiring confidence and vision, but its extreme form is destructive. Leaders with this trait often undermine the structures they are supposed to protect, preferring to serve their own interests.

Our teacher explained that Walter C. Langer was the author of one of the first psychological profiles of a historical leader based exclusively on observation and indirect information. In 1943 he wrote "The Mind of Adolf Hitler"The report was produced during the Second World War at the request of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the CIA. The aim of the report was to provide the Allies with an understanding of Hitler's motivations and possible future behavior, which would allow them to predict and anticipate his steps. The analysis was based on accounts from people who had lived with Hitler, his public and private actions, and his speeches.

Langer's main conclusions

1. Psychological diagnosis: Langer identified Hitler as having paranoid tendencies, extreme narcissism and characteristics of schizophrenia. He also highlighted Hitler's deep insecurity, masked by authoritarian behavior and a carefully polished public image.
2. Behavior prediction: Langer predicted that, if defeated, Hitler might resort to suicide as a way of avoiding humiliation. This prediction turned out to be true.
3. Dynamics between leader and people: Langer explored how Hitler manipulated the masses using propaganda, impassioned speeches and the identification of scapegoats (in this case, the Jews) to channel social discontent and consolidate popular dissatisfaction.

Erich Fromm, another renowned psychoanalyst, in "The Heart of Man", described Hitler as someone with necrophiliac tendencies, i.e. fascinated by death, destruction and absolute control. According to Fromm, narcissistic leaders can exhibit dangerous behavior. Some traits that favor social unrest include:

• Search for blind devotion: They manipulate followers to create a loyal base, promoting a doctrine that places the leader as infallible.
• Polarization: They divide people and communities into wings, such as "us against them", "saints against the corrupt", "pure against the impure", using fear and promises of greatness or a better future to mobilize followers.
• Intolerance of criticism: They react with anger or devaluation to any opposition and look at critics as enemies.
• Use of charisma and emotional rhetoric: They involve followers in passionate speeches that obscure rational analysis and promote impulsive actions.

The post-election crisis in Mozambique illustrates how such characteristics can fuel conflicts, especially when amplified by the mass behavior described by Le Bon.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration and a lack of empathy. People with NPD often see themselves as special and believe they deserve special treatment. They are obsessed with fantasies of unlimited success and power, and are extremely sensitive to criticism. At extreme moments, they assume themselves to be deified figures.

In the corporate sphere, leaders like Steve Jobs are often cited as examples of individuals who have used narcissistic traits to transform industries and inspire innovation. In Mozambique, visionary managers in large companies have shown that ambition and self-confidence, when well directed, can bring significant progress.

When we analyze leaders who abuse narcissistic traits to manipulate, we must consider the role of the masses. Gustave Le Bon, a French social psychologist, explored this phenomenon in his classic "Psychologie des Foules (Psychology of the Masses), published in 1895. He argues that by being part of a crowd, the individual loses their critical sense and ability to think independently, being carried away by collective emotions. One of his best-known quotes is: "In the crowd, the individual acquires, by the mere fact of being part of it, a feeling of invincible power that allows him to give in to instincts that, in isolation, he would have kept under control. The crowd is impulsive, fickle, intolerant, and tends towards actions that an individual would never commit alone."

This dynamic, looked at from a modern perspective, explains how charismatic and narcissistic leaders manage to galvanize unconditional support, even when their actions go against individual or social interests. Although the lessons of Langer and Fromm are historical, they continue to resonate in the present. Leaders with narcissistic traits, whether political or corporate, have the ability to shape entire societies, for better or worse. The post-election crisis in Mozambique illustrates how such traits can fuel conflicts, especially when amplified by the mass behavior described by Le Bon. (Author: Vicente Sitoe)