The ugly war continues and the three leaders come to mind-Joe Biden,Volodymyr Zielinski and Vladimir Putin. Are there common themes between them? If so, what are they? Does that mean that man has common temperaments, personalities or character? This disquisition focuses on a few common psychodynamic principles and Authoritarianism .
In primeval times , man was confronted by many obstacles and challenges pertaining to survival.Being born becomes associated with anxiety, fear,and inability to survive alone- dependency.Within that dependency , the infant became part of a horde–his family led by the most powerful , omnipotent authoritarian father type. This omnipotent brute became master for all and provided safety needs - food ,shelter , rules and warmth etc. for survival. With siblings , rivalry surfaced. To secure favor,the individuals became grateful, sympathetic, loyal, subservient in an attempt to win the love,protection , respect and gratitude. During existence, the omnipotent,despotic leader exhibited favor , disapproval and even punishment. Therefore, ambivalent feelings-of liking, loving, honoring, fearing and hating became the norm. The authoritarian father figure with unlimited power, dominance, and control used brutality to keep others subservient . All females and others were his property. They were objects available for hm to satisfy his sexual requirements and gratifications . If the authoritarian felt threatened, or was jealous, he castrated, killed or banished the rival. It should be noted that the youngest male was in favor and was protected by the mother. If the father figure, aged and died, that younger sibling might assume power and control of the horde. With cannibalism, it became a totem feast and the siblings would actually Incorporate the father figure in order to symbolically-magical thinking acquire his power. With that being said, the children witnessed, on many occasions , the sadomasochistic behavior of the father figure, which became a model that they exhibited as well. In essence, the existence of anxiety , insecurity; dependency; ambivalence; rivalry; and sadomasochism are behavioral tendencies that were established and surfaced within this social structure ruled by an autocratic, dictatorial, despotic, tyrannical , authoritarian father type with unlimited sovereignty over the horde.
Later, Moses.surfaced from the Iknaton Empire. Was Moses an Egyptian? Regardless, monotheism was established within that Egyptian Dynasty. It’s believed that Moses led the Levite slaves from Egypt into the desert for 40 years. Moses was an authoritarian father figure leader? In leading his people,Moses required rules ,mores and regulations regarding man’s behavior. In the story, he provided God’s 10 commandments that pertained to the moral and ethical behavior of how others are supposed to treat others. Unfortunately, Moses never reached the promised land because he was murdered beforehand. It should also be stated that Jahve was an authoritarian father . That primeval father. exhibited omnipotent power over the known world. He established commandments and he could punish others. He made the Red Sea part and allowed a terrible flood to inhabit the world.With the power of salvation, he was unchallenged, and the only God.
About 4000 years ago, civilization became more established -ceramics development provided impetus for agricultural accumulation, grain availability , etc. In Babylon, the code of Hammurabi was established. This code was a collection of 282 rules, providing standards for commercial interactions, setting fines and punishments to meet the requirements of justice. Once again, these codes were for the commoners; it became clear that the commandments of God were not effective in regulating behavior. The Authoritarian father figure code : “to make justice visible in the land, to destroy the wicked person and the evildoer, and that the strong might not injure the weak.” It could also be said that human sacrifice, god's commandments and codes were moralistic ideas that did not succeed in regulating man’s behavior. Again, insecurity,dependence, rivalry, ambivalence and sadomasochistic tendencies were widely exhibited in Babylon too.
The Greeks also had their ruler, protector, father of all gods and humans. Zeus was authoritarian too. He was depicted , in Greek mythology ,as the chief Greek deity and shown as an older man with a beard represented by symbols of lightning bolt and eagle.
Philip of Macedon was the Authoritarian father king who gained domination over all of Greece with military power and diplomatic means until he was murdered. His son, Alexander the Great ,followed . Alexander’s conquests included Persia, Asia , Egypt,and India.With Alexander,there was a brutal display of sadomasochism. His loyal army and generals followed him regardless of hardships during the conquests. Yes, they raped and looted.But ,how much loot can you carry while marching to battle? The soldiers followed, obeyed and were loyal and dependent upon him, as he was dependent upon them as well. Both Alexander and his followers displayed sadomasochism. With ambivalence , rivalry, love ,hate and resentment surfaced. Again, insecurity, dependence,rivalry, ambivalence, sadomasochism with an authoritarian father figure leader was the norm. Alexander was murdered too. Note, all Authoritarian father figures are represented favorably in the history of Homosapiens .
Authoritarian father figures were prevalent with Caesar,Nero, Hannibal, Attila,popes, Cortez,Napoleon, kings, queens etc. .Roughly 700 years ago, the monarch - authoritarian father of England was Henry VIII .Being a Roman Catholic, he was confronted with church opposition when he desired Anne Boleyn. He resolved his conflict by establishing the Church of England with subsequent marriages. Once again, rules, laws, God’s commandments, etc were not followed by him. King Henry was above the law. He was the law and manipulated it to his advantage as well as eliminating his enemies.Further, he was described as one of the most charismatic rulers to sit on the English throne , yet was loved and hated as well. Again, insecurity, dependence, rivalry, ambivalence, and sadomasochism were exhibited especially with his treatment of his six wives and enemies.Just ask Sir Thomas Moore and Oliver Cromwell?
Recently, 80 –90 years ago , another charismatic authoritarian rose from the ashes of World War I. Hitler was above the law as he was the law. Codes,laws and commandments were irrelevant for him. His invasion of Poland was based on a lie. Insecurity ,dependency, rivalry, ambivalence and sadomasochism were in full sight. His followers were even young adolescents who fought for him even though they were headed to their graves. He killed , destroyed and ravaged Europe with his irrationality and hatred. In the end, this despicable individual took his own life and followers continue to mourn.
Today, Putin is the most powerful authoritarian father figure on the planet. He invaded Ukraine with irrationality and lies. His military has been destroying Ukraine and his treatment by his military exhibits sadomasochism. They are all guilty of murder. Are they insecure , dependent and follow his commands? Is there ambivalence ? Some said they didn't know why they were in Ukraine or thought they were on a military exercise. No one can use the same excuse of thinking now. Can Putin be criticized in Russia? Apparently not, as even the Russian people are not getting a true picture of the invasion. Yes, rivals are either killed or put in prison without commandments, codes or trials for protection .Will Putin ever face consequences for his war crimes? Fear,dependency,rivalry,ambivalence and sadomasochism are on full display in Russia.
Biden and Zelinski are leaders of their countries. In the United States and Ukraine, voting for leadership Is different than in Russia. That doesn’t mean that we have reached a total or ideal democracy. Our democracy is under attack by authoritarian leaning individuals. In Ukraine, there is insecurity, dependence,rivalry, ambivalence, and sadomasochism as well- but not for authoritarian leadership. Ukraines future is dependent on NATO’s alliance for killing weapons .
The collective unconscious for authoritarian father rule is alive and well in our country . A strong father figures' amoral conscience , being the law appeals to many of insecure ,dependent , rivalry, sadomasochistic and sycophantic followers.Thus, we are at war with authoritarianism too .Can democracy win against the long standing historical collective unconscious of authoritarian prevalence and dominance ?
In our capitalistic country, with the collective unconscious,human physiology within the context of child rearing dynamics , insecurity, dependency, ambivalence, rivalry, and sadomasochism become dominant psychological tendencies. With that being said,Erich Fromm described a marketing orientation personality influenced by our capitalistic society and its vulnerability to authoritarian influence. Fromm stated that with capitalism, our market meeting place has changed from earlier times. The exchange of goods and services currently has become more abstract, impersonal and not based on value of use, but on supply and demand. Because of this occurrence, individuals have not only become a commodity but one’s value has become based on exchange. Translated, this means we now have a personality market tendency. With a personality market, material success is based on personal acceptance by those who need the service and those who employ them. This in turn facilitates more insecurity , superficial interactions and roles with alienation- dependency seeking protection which is authoritarianism.
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, provides an example of a marketing personality placing those at risk, searching, needing and requiring a protector. In the story, the protagonist is Willy Loman. Willy becomes insecure because of his inability to successfully sell .He becomes unable to aggressively close the deal and anxiously awaits for the customer to say” yes.”His identity is totally dependent on successfully making a living.He’s ambivalent regarding his employment as he needs the job, yet is totally discouraged, resentful, depressed and down and out because of being fired. He could not compete successfully with other salesmen. In essence, he was a market failure economically and no longer able to sell himself or his product. His interpersonal relationships were superficial and contributed to his loss of identity and meaningless existence.Thus, insecurity ,identity, meaningless and depression result in wishing for acceptance,love and protection from an authoritarian father figure as Willy unable to stand on his own two feet.
The battle between seeking an authoritarian father figure -dominant,protective, exploitative, lying, cheating, stealing, with little moral or ethical regard versus a humanistic democratic orientation -truth, objectivity,reason, rationality, fairness, love, respect continues within much insecurity and economic discrepancy. A few words from those enlightened humanists : Lao-Tse “True words always seem paradoxical but No other form of teaching can take its place and He who conquers others is strong, He who conquers himself is mighty;” Plato “ Who then are the true philosophers? Those who are lovers of the vision of truth. And Hosea “My people are destroyed by the lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.”
PS
Psychologically ,Insecurity, dependence,rivalry, ambivalence–sadomasochistic tendencies were commonalities exhibited within the families. Two examples from a family of five pertaining to older and younger siblings. The first example, the younger sibling, because of his anger and resentment, hurled a pitchfork at his brother. In the second, the older brother took his younger brother out to play football.so the older brother could run over younger brother - psychodynamic tendencies exhibited..
Reference
Fromm , Erich. Man For Himself An Inquiry Into The Psychology Of Ethics.
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