Why does a part of society continue to support “strong leaders” in politics, despite their tendency toward manipulation, authoritarian practices, and social division?

On 23 November 2025, journalists from the German magazine Spiegel interviewed Otto Kernberg, who described current global processes through the lens of psychoanalytic understanding.

The interview was published under the title “Psychologie der Massen. Am Ende hat Trump Angst vor Putin” — “The Psychology of the Masses. In the End, Trump Is Afraid of Putin.”

A link to the full interview in German is provided at the end of our material.

From our perspective (speaking on behalf of the TFP-Group Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute for Personality Disorders Studies), psychoanalysis offers a uniquely profound lens for understanding global dynamics shaped by destructive and narcissistic tendencies, which are increasingly visible in today’s social and political climate.

In our program:
“Love and Aggression: From Normality to Pathology”
Trainer — Otto Kernberg, MD

We will explore these processes in depth and detail. For now, we offer a brief overview of key ideas from the interview.

Let us return to the question: Why do so many people want to see so-called “strong men” in politics — even when these leaders openly lie and divide society?

“In psychology, this phenomenon is known as the regressed large group. People in such a group feel that the world is controlled by external forces, that they are victims who must rise up against this. Someone within the group is often assigned the role of the one who should defeat this hostile world. This is not adult behavior but childlike patterns to which people regress under intense fear and stress.”

However, describing the mechanism of regression is only part of the explanation. To understand why groups “slip” into such patterns, it is essential to identify the sources of stress that activate regressive processes. What generates this internal pressure?

Kernberg explains:

“Among other things, it is the sense of powerlessness, which is in some ways a by-product of democracy: a person is dissatisfied with the majority’s decision and feels unheard. To some degree, this is inevitable — everyone has experienced it. But when this feeling becomes overwhelming, it is natural for a person to seek a self-assured, charismatic, and antisocial leader.

Regressive groups always choose leaders with similar personalities. Large groups of around 150 people were studied using psychoanalytic methods — and they quickly developed the desire to select either a narcissistic or a paranoid leader.

A moderate group chooses a leader of the ‘benevolent grandfather’ type with narcissistic traits. He reassures everyone and promises peace.

An agitated group seeks a paranoid leader who reinforces their fears and leads them against an enemy. Groups experiencing strong dissatisfaction and pressure often want someone who combines both narcissistic and paranoid traits — someone who wants to be both loved and feared. These features correspond to leaders with signs of malignant narcissism.”

To the question: “Is the drive toward authoritarianism an archaic human trait?”
Dr. Kernberg replied:

“Yes, and this is connected with the group psychology I already mentioned.
This trait brings us back to a childlike sense of dependency, in which we do not have to take any responsibility. This stands in contrast to the responsibility that an adult has for their own behavior. However, the longing for an ideal, simple world has something primitive in it.”

We would like to add, from the TFP-Group Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute for Personality Disorders Studies:

Awareness of these psychological mechanisms is not merely theoretical knowledge. It is a necessary step toward forming a mature and resilient political culture capable of resisting manipulation, polarization, and the simplistic solutions offered by authoritarian leaders. Understanding how group processes operate is important not only in politics — these patterns help us see the underlying dynamics within organizations, communities, and broader social interactions.

This material is based on Otto Kernberg’s article “Psychologie der Massen. Am Ende hat Trump Angst vor Putin” published in the German magazine Spiegel on 23.11.2025. The full text of the article is available at:
https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/otto-kernberg-ueber-boesartige-narzissten-es-haette-auch-andere-trumps-geben-koennen-a-41ce39c6-8659-44db-888d-83e683fa3140

(c) Yuliia Holopiorova,

Ukrainian Association of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy