Modern western civilization reached a pinnacle in the last half of the 20th century, spending over 200 years evolving and spreading throughout the world. A robust social contract, technological advancement and pervasive economic success in the context of democracy and capitalism propelled the project. Scientists, historians and politicians alike have begun to warn that Western culture is reaching a critical juncture. Cycles of inequality and resource use are heading for a tipping point that in many past civilizations precipitated political unrest, war and finally collapse. It starts with a fairly equal society, then, as the population grows, the supply of labour begins to outstrip demand and so becomes cheap. Wealthy elites form, while the living standards of the workers fall. As the society becomes more unequal, the cycle enters a more destructive phase, in which the misery of the lowest strata and infighting between elites contribute to social turbulence and, eventually, collapse.1
The personality traits of narcissism and entitlement are not organically innate; they are products of capitalist socialization, which instills and perpetuates such values and practices. In a capitalist society, individuals are often encouraged to prioritize self-interest, competition, and material success over communal well-being and cooperation. This environment fosters a sense of entitlement and narcissism, as people are conditioned to view themselves as superior and deserving of special treatment. The focus on personal gain and achievement at the expense of others erodes collective values and promotes a culture where these traits are normalized and even rewarded. The understanding of social roots of narcissism and entitlement is essential for addressing their pervasive influence. The stagnation of the working class – wages were suppressed by policy choices made on behalf of those with the most income, wealth, and power; coupled with the degradation of the environment and the collapse of social welfare, led to political discontent and populism in many countries.2
Political leaders use language to convey their messages, shape public opinion, and mobilize support for their agendas. Rhetoric, speeches, and propaganda are all examples of how language is used in politics to influence and persuade. Politicians use language strategically to frame issues, shape narratives, and sway public opinion. The choice of words, tone, and rhetoric can influence how policies are perceived and debated. Likewise, understood rhetoric is a powerful political weapon for shaping political belief and action. In other words, Trump’s language appears to be designed to align him with non-politicians, to assert his identity as a ‘common man’. Compared with the other speakers, Trump uses shorter words and a more restricted vocabulary, suggesting that his language will appear familiar to a larger proportion of people. Although his language, both in content and in style, is odd for a political leader, it is familiar to his audience. It is the true language of populism.
Political discourse operates indexically, meaning that every single word being used either implicitly or explicitly expresses some political view point. This could even be as subtle as an accent, or how people are addressed. Political discourse is always aimed at interaction, including interruption, debate, and negotiation. Political discourse also tends to be vague, almost like the words of a horoscope, leaving the electorate up to interpret what is being said as they would like to understand it. Trump makes vague implications with a raised eyebrow or a shrug, allowing his audience to reach their own conclusions. And that conversational style can be effective. It’s more intimate than a scripted speech. People walk away from Donald Trump feeling as though he were casually talking to them, allowing them to finish his thoughts. Trump, a master at the art of political persuasion, was able to influence voters about a better future during 2024 election.
Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely. The statement , “an observation that a person’s sense of morality lessens as his or her power increases,” was made by Lord Acton, a British historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Power corrupts those who never deserved to wield it in the first place because they never had the right values or ideas to fight various temptations. It corrupts because it gives a person an ever greater/easier means and opportunity to take the path of least resistance and shortcuts to attain a goal. “When you feel powerful, you kind of lose touch with other people,” Kelter explains. “You stop attending carefully to what other people think.” People with power may not only act inappropriately in the workplace, gamble, and act impulsively, but also lose empathy for others. Also, the narcissist is extremely selective in how and when they show the limited empathy they have.
Such people with egocentric self-absorption have three types of tendencies at the same time: narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy. The fact that these people not only often seek power but also succeed in acquiring power has two main reasons. The first is that these people are often very good at manipulating people. They can often appear charming when necessary and lie and cheat outright to get their way. The second reason, according to Klaas, has to do with an evolutionary ingrained tendency of people. That tendency is to think that powerful, aggressive men are good leaders in tense situations. Moreover, many people in positions of power find themselves in the situation that the people around them mostly talk to them, which may lead them to believe more and more in their own right and take their privileges for granted.3
Corruption is the enemy of development, and of good governance. It must be got rid of. Both the government and the people at large must come together to achieve this national objective (Pratibha Patil). Philosopher Terry Price suggests that powerful individuals can engage in “exception-making” – believing that the rules and laws that apply to others do not apply to them. This can be an easy source of corruption. There is also evidence that the more power people possess, the more they focus on their egocentric desires and the less able they are to see others’ perspectives. Powerful people and leaders need to understand that their obligation is to use that power wisely and to benefit others. Not to abuse it and certainly not use it to justify their illegal or immoral behavior that harms others. Corruption results from a balance between opportunities and constraints.
Even with increased knowledge of power’s corrupting effect and safeguards put in place to counteract such tendencies, power abuse remains rampant in society suggesting that the full extent of this effect is not well understood. The best antidote to power and corruption is humility. It is important that leaders and others with power have the humility to evaluate their behavior objectively. They need to realize that their power is given to them, that it can be fleeting, and it is the obligation of those close to the leader – the inner circle – to hold a mirror up to the leader’s actions and to hold the leader accountable. On analysis of culture of corruption – follow the money – corruption and graft punish the poor, undermine development, and corrode honest governance. And because the corrupt will always try to protect their interests, anti-corruption initiatives themselves can also become politicised for end gain.
The narcissist feels a powerful entitlement to admiration, his need for praise is insatiable. The outside world’s continual confirmation of the narcissistic self’s uniqueness is vital. Moreover, hyper-sensitivity to criticism places premiums on the narcissist’s surrounding himself with sycophants. No wonder the narcissist needs courtiers around him. Narcissists seek out the rich and other celebrities. A billionaire like Trump seeks out the company of other billionaires, for they are the sole persons qualified to respect fully his success and to applaud it. The narcissist is by nature an existentialist. For that approach offers the maximum freedom to do whatever the need of the emotional moment is, and to avoid doing anything that is uncomfortable or inconvenient. That is also why a narcissist is distinctly uninterested in precedent, in the norms observed by others, in lessons as to what falls within the realm of the impossible, the painful, the costly.
Corruption establishes patronage systems, builds loyalty, pays off rivals and opposition, co-opts accountability institutions, and buys votes and immunity from prosecution. With politicized corruption, the spoils are not just for personal enrichment but rather to win, stabilize and extend political power. High levels of inequality are associated with economic instability, corruption, financial crises, increased crime and poor physical and mental health. When we look around: tax concessions, tax avoidance and tax evasion remain widespread. Corporate tax rates have fallen. This has reduced resources to invest in the very services that can reduce inequality: social protection, education, healthcare. The corrosive effects of today’s levels of inequality are clear. We are sometimes told a rising tide of economic growth lifts all boats. But in reality, rising inequality sinks all boats. Confidence in institutions and leaders is eroding.
With inability for deep emotions, narcissists lack a positive vision for the future and hence are not very strong in developing compelling long-term strategic perspectives. Furthermore, they are easily bored when things are too normal and under control which makes them create one crisis after the next whilst constantly increasing the incurred risks. For the narcissist Hitler, in his mind, the German people had failed, his generals had failed, his soldiers had failed. They had failed Germany but, more importantly they had failed him – and he wanted them punished for failing him. As Trump’s elaborate façade of competence and invulnerability is punctured and shattered in real time for the world to see, he will begin to move from denial to the early stages of lashing out and making threats. When a narcissist starts to lose power, he will turn on his followers. This is laying ground work for social turbulence in the near future.
The escalation of narcissistic entitlement in global politics means planetary limits are more likely to be ignored. Narcissists and their culture of entitlement erode the collective foundations of society, promoting individualism in a way that enables capitalism to thrive without resistance. This shift undermines communal bonds and fosters an environment where personal gain is prioritized over the common good. The resulting fragmentation weakens societal cohesion, making it easier for exploitative systems to perpetuate themselves. Now in the US a specific form of corruption occurs when elites seek public funds, originally intended to be invested in services that benefit the larger population, to fund projects that would only benefit them. Look around – economic decline, political corruption and social inequality and class conflict are signs you are living in a collapsing society. This breakdown includes the loss of collective capacity to meet basic needs of the population, and the difficult-to-reverse loss of capacity to carry out basic functions.4
2 https://countercurrents.org/2024/07/capitalism-and-its-narcissist-culture-of-entitlement/
3 https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/202402/how-and-why-power-corrupts-people4https://beyond.ubc.ca/what-is-societal-collapse-and-why-does-it-matter/
4 https://beyond.ubc.ca/what-is-societal-collapse-and-why-does-it-matter/