THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TYRANNICAL LEADERS

"TRUE LEADERS PLACE THE NEEDS OF OTHERS ABOVE THEIR OWN," goes the framed quotation I have hanging in my home. True leaders find a certain call to be of service to the church and civic community, to the government or to a corporate entity and give out their best in rendering this service keeping in mind the good of the people affected by his decisions. And a tyrannical leader is just the opposite. Leadership for them is not a call but a chance for them to exercise power over others,to realize a demented dream like the perfect race that Hitler dreamed of for the Germans in his time, resulting to the mass murder of Jews; or like the fictitious character Joker, in the comic series Batman. Joker's insane dream is to control the world through scientific inventions. Well, there are those around us in the church, in the community or the neighborhood, like in the religious organizations or homeowners association. Tyrannical leaders are defined as those whose type of leadership have a tendency to oppress others to get what they want, which is simply to gain control of the group. Observing these people, one can take notice that they tend to discredit or destroy the reputation of present or potential leaders, whom they see as potential rivals for a place among the officers of the organization they are vying for, either for themselves, or for a friend whom they can control. They act as the head of a "stirring committee" to stir the ire of those who are powerful in the community against these "rivals" Well these are all life experiences. I am trained in the sciences, not in psychology but have a perfect score in a perception test that I took while applying for a job in a multinational company. Well, I got the job but did not hold on to it for long. I was too perceptive I guess. by carmen herrera uy, december 8, 2013