All it takes is the publication of an ad with a single word — “Liar” –and everyone knows to whom it refers. The public, the ministers withinhis government, the leaders of neighboring countries and worldleaders in general — all know that one cannot trust a single wordout of his mouth, that his political behavior is nothing but a chainof tricks, lies, and deceit.
What is the source of this phenomenon? I posed this question to ZivitAbramson, a highly respected sociopsychologist. In her opinion, chroniclying is not a trait. It is a symptomatic behavior, pointing tothe existence of profound underlying psychological problems.
In the case of the Prime Minister, the lies constitute a compulsive andinseparable expression of a familiar syndrome. In a healthy individual’sbehavior there is a certain balance between personal concerns andstrivings, and consideration for the needs of others. Among thoseindividuals with the syndrome manifested by Netanyahu, the very qualitythat makes a person into a socialized individual — empathy for the otherperson — has not developed. The needs of others and the needs of thecommunity do not play a role in considerations which determine such anindividual’s behavior. This is the source of all the ambivalence feltby the public since Netanyahu has taken over governing.
In connection with the question regarding his true political intentions,the answer is that he wants to be Prime Minister. Presently, the publicis wondering whether he is for or against a withdrawal, whether he wantsor does not want to carry it out. The simple answer is that itabsolutely does not matter to him. Such questions have no interest forhim at all. All that he is interested in is to remain Prime Minister,maintain power and prestige and enjoy the good life.
Individuals such as Netanyahu manifest their syndrome as follows:
- The perception of laws and rules: A normal individual knows the laws and
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understands that they apply to him, personally. A mentally ill individualdoes not know nor does he understand the law, and consequently cannotknow that it applies to him. Whereas those individuals with the disorderin question here do know and understand the laws, but they feel that thelaws concern only others, not themselves.
- These individuals ascribe tremendous importance to external status
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symbols and demonstrations of respect. They have a childish concept ofwhat constitutes an “important person.” What such individuals reallycrave is not being Prime Minister but King. They want to be treated withextreme respect along with their family, without having to earn thisrespect with any particular actions. Hence the particular fondness ofthe Prime Minister for travelling with his wife and children and a largeentourage of retainers and servants.
- Their concept of reality is flawed in the sense that they lack the
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ability to make a connection between words and actions. This lack is notan intellectual deficiency but rather an emotional one. In fact, thoseafflicted with this syndrome tend to demonstrate a particularly high levelof intellectual intelligence, accompanied by a particularly low level ofemotional intelligence. As children, they learned that it is importantwhat you say (“Say that you are sorry and that you will never do thisagain!”) and not what you do.
- Their concept of time is flawed. Their concern is strictly with the
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present. Their battle is always with a current problem, with the goalbeing to immediately remove any pressure and threats to their personalobjectives. Their means of dealing with a challenge is to say anythingthat the other party wants to hear (to say, not to do!). In this respectthey demonstrate brilliant creativity. An interesting characteristic ofthese individuals (which points to a flawed perception of reality) isthat, contrary to the garden-variety liar, they are not troubled by therevelation of a discrepancy between their words and reality, or betweentheir own words in the morning and their words in the evening. When sucha contradiction is revealed, they once again react with a sound bite whichseemingly resolves the discrepancy instantly. What they lack entirely isa general overview, with a long-range sense of the future.
- A person afflicted with this syndrome is incapable of forming deep,
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genuine and lasting emotional bonds — the kind that make the interests ofthe other no less important than those of his own. And therein lies thesource of an absolute absence of loyalty, even to those closest to him.He perceives himself as a loner and all the others as enemies orpotential enemies (a mechanism of inference convinces him that others,like him, are also preoccupied solely with their own personal objectives).
The tragedy is that individuals in this group are by are large persons ofgreat charisma, with great persuasive skills, with tremendous influenceand with a brilliant ability to impress and to maneuver — themaintenance of which absorbs all of their mental energy. A person withcommon sense may recognize that something is wrong with this successfuland impressive individual — but not right away. It takes time. Througha slow process, there accumulates a general and growing sense of uneaseand anger among those around this individual, which culminate with thesudden public revelation that the emperor is not only naked but crazy aswell. He is not responsible for it, and he should not be punished. It’sjust that he does not belong in this office.
The question is this: Just how much harm does such an individual have theopportunity to cause to his family (a profound personal disappointment tothose closest to him), to his partners (financial losses caused bycheating), or to his countrymen and state and, perhaps, to the entireworld (it has already happened in the twentieth century) — before thoseinvolved comprehend that they are dealing with an individual sufferingfrom a deep personality disorder, and that one must fear him like a fire?