Elizabeth Mika
Aug 23, 2017 · 1 min read

Thank you, Cindy.

You’re right that people with this character problem are not known to admit defeat and willingly give up their power in any circumstances. Political psychologist Betty Glad wrote an excellent paper “Why Tyrants Go Too Far” where she talked about possible ways to contain the pathology of malignantly narcissistic leaders. (Spoiler: there aren’t any successful ones in the long run.) The best thing is to prevent them from assuming power.

I talk about her paper here. A relevant fragment:

“Glad also offers suggestions on dealing with the tyrants (“maintain clear, firm, but non-provocative boundaries;” don’t compromise, because “compromise with him is likely only to whet the appetite;” avoid humiliating confrontations as those would lead to eruptions of destructive aggression), concluding that

Short of keeping such a person from ever coming to power, the creation of countervailing constraints that are both clear and impersonally used may be the best alternative available.

Glad’s suggestions appear to be directed at the diplomatic personnel dealing with foreign tyrants; and, in what is a second minor weakness of her paper, she does not mention — maybe because it would be superfluous — that such interventions did not work for the three tyrants she discusses at length. The conclusion, for the reader, is inescapable: there are no good answers to the question of How do you solve the problem of The Tyrant? Who will teach him a lesson?”

I suppose resignation to protect the grandiose facade and the illusion of somehow “winning” this way is possible, however unlikely any time soon. But will see.

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    Elizabeth Mika

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    On Twitter as @yourauntemma