Post-Colonial Narcissists and Toxic Power, by William Gumede
William Gumede is associate professor, School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand; and author of the 'Restless Nation: Making Sense of Troubled Times'.
Post-Colonial Narcissists and Toxic Power
by William Gumede
MANY POST-COLONIAL African societies appear to have a disproportionate number of narcissistic political leaders, who focus on self-aggrandisement, cause societal divisions, corruption and stunted development.
Narcissistic leaders often rise to power in periods of chaos, confusion and uncertainty. Once in power, they deliberately stir chaos, and uncertainty to perpetuate their rule. African countries, with their high levels of poverty, contestation of legal, cultural and moral codes, and lack of direction, are fertile ground for narcissists. Narcissists exploit these conditions and present themselves as caring, fighting for the poor, and having all the answers. They lack any form of conscience and disregard laws, rules and conventions.
Democratic, institutional and societal checks and balances are often weak in developing countries in transition, which provides space for narcissistic leaders to become autocratic. Many people surrender to the control of narcissists charmed by their apparent confidence, outrageous promises and because they play on people's fears, victimhood and prejudices.
Narcissism is often not given its due recognition in African politics, let alone in business and personal relationships. Yet, it unleashes considerable pain on its victims, societies and countries. Narcissists thrive on the pain of others, whether inflicted on their children, intimate partners or work colleagues, leaving damaged victims in their wake, destroying their sense of self or agency, causing lost potential and lost growth.
Narcissists are damaged individuals, who psychologist Ramani Durvasula says experience abandonment during critical periods of their emotional development. Robert Waelder, a psychoanalyst, in 1925 described the narcissistic personality, and Heinz Kohut later coined the term narcissistic personality disorder as a set of traits which includes an exaggerated sense of superiority, a lack of self-awareness about the impact of their behaviour, and a disdain for others who they devalue to validate their own grandiosity.
Narcissistic leaders have God complexes, lack empathy and are often entitled. They have a distorted sense of reality, believe in their own version of truth, and cannot see anything from anyone else's perspective. They make up things and lack empathy for others. They blame others for their mistakes and minimise the consequences of their actions. They use enablers, who are uncritically loyal to them and put them on pedestals. They flatter their enablers through patronage. When their enablers become critical of them, they quickly turn against them.
In order to secure or retain power, they have no compunction when it comes to destroying public resources, institutions and countries. They are toxic. Ravi Chandra, the psychiatrist, warned: “A narcissist without conscience, restraints, checks or balances can easily become an authoritarian or sociopath, insisting that they are not beholden to laws or responsible for their relationships, organisation, community or even country as a whole”.
CLOSE TO HOME
After a decade of state capture, patronage and wasted resources under his watch, former South African president Jacob Zuma still asked what he had done to be prosecuted for corruption. There is no self-reflection, no understanding of the damaging impact of his leadership on ordinary citizens – business closures, joblessness and the collapse of public services. No owning up to mistakes. It's the fault of white monopoly capital, the victims of state capture brought it on themselves, of his “enemies”. Never him.
There have been countless occasions where African dictators, like the late Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, unleashed violence against their citizens, looted public resources and deliberately sowed ethnic division. Yet, they portray themselves as victims and blame the victims for the atrocities inflicted on them. When former Democratic Republic of Congo dictator Mobutu Sese Seko was toppled in May 1997, he still insisted that he served “his” people despite embezzling more than US$15 billion, commandeering public institutions for private use and fuelling ethnic divisions.
These narcissistic leaders cannot accept accountability. Nor do they care whether they take down their partners, organisations or the country with them. All they care about is themselves. Narcissistic leaders should not be in power whether in companies, political parties or countries. It is difficult to remove them as they lack a conscience, self-reflection, and take no responsibility for their wrongs.
When in power, they should be prosecuted for wrongdoing. Ordinary citizens, civil society organisations and democratic institutions should serve as checks and balances to constrain the toxic excesses of narcissistic leaders and vote them out at the earliest opportunity.