Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

ondary. That is why the increase in a nations’ egotism should

be attributed to the above described hysterical cycle before

anything else.

If we analyze the development of excessively egotistical

personalities, we often find some non-pathological causes, such

as having been raised in a constricted and overly routine envi-

ronment or by persons less intelligent than the child. However,

the main reason for the development of an overly egotistical

personality in a normal person is contamination, through psy-

chological induction, by excessively egotistical or hysterical

persons who, themselves, developed this characteristic under

the influence of various pathological causes. Most of the

above-described genetic deviations cause the development of

pathologically egotistical personalities, among other things.

Many people with various hereditary deviations and ac-

quired defects develop pathological egotism. For such people,

forcing others in their environment, whole social groups, and,

if possible, entire nations, to feel and think like themselves

becomes an internal necessity, a ruling concept. A game that a

normal person would not take seriously can become a lifelong

goal for them, the object of effort, sacrifices, and cunning psy-

chological strategy.

Pathological egotism derives from repressing from one’s

field of consciousness any objectionable, self-critical associa-

tions referring to one’s own nature or normality. Dramatic

71 A personality disorder marked by immaturity, dependence, self-

centeredness, and vanity, with a craving for attention, activity, or excitement,

and behavior that is markedly unstable or manipulative. ( The American Heri-

tage Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 2nd Edition 2004; Houghton Mifflin

Company) [Editor’s note.]

148

PONEROLOGY

question such as “who is abnormal here, me or this world of

people who feel and think differently?” are answered in the

world’s disfavor. Such egotism is always linked to a dissimula-

tive attitude, with a Cleckley mask over some pathological

quality being hidden from consciousness, both one’s own and

that of other people. The greatest intensity of such egotism can

be found in the prefrontal characteropathy described above.

The importance of the contribution of this kind of egotism

to the genesis of evil thus hardly needs elaboration. It is a pri-

marily societal influence, egotizing or traumatizing others,

which in turn causes further difficulties. Pathological egotism

is a constant component of variegated states wherein someone

who appears to be normal (although he is in fact not quite so) is

driven by motivations or battles for goals a normal person con-

siders unrealistic or unlikely. The average person might ask:

“What could he expect to gain by that?”. Environmental opin-

ion, however, often interprets such a situation in accordance

with “common sense” and is thus prone to accept a “more

likely” version of the situation and events. Such interpretation

often results in human tragedy. We should thus always remem-

ber that the principle of law cui prodest72 becomes illusory

whenever some pathological factor enters the picture.

~~~

Moralizing interpretation: The tendency to impart a moral-

izing interpretation upon essentially pathological phenomena is

an aspect of human nature whose discernable substratum is

encoded in our specific instinct; namely humans normally fail

to differentiate between moral and biological evil. Moralizing

always surfaces, albeit to varying degrees, within the natural

psychological and moral world view, which is why we should

consider this tendency a permanent error of public opinion. We

may curb it with increased self-knowledge, but overcoming it

requires specific knowledge in the psychopathological area.

Young people and less cultured circles always tend toward

such interpretations (although it characterizes traditional es-

thetes too), which intensifies whenever our natural reflexes

take over control from reason, i.e. in hysterical states, and in

direct proportion to the intensity of egotism.

72 What or who does it advance? Who does it serve? What’s the point?

POLITICAL PONEROLOGY

149

We close the door to a causative comprehension of phe-

nomena and open it to vengeful emotions and psychological

error whenever we impose a moralistic interpretation upon

faults and errors in human behavior, which are in fact largely

derived from the various influences of pathological factors,

whether mentioned above or not, which are often obscured

from minds untrained in this area. We thereby also permit these