The Psychological Assessment of Political Leaderstivity to constructive criticism. If the narcissist's self-concept of per-
fection and brilliance is to be sustained, no one can give him new
knowledge and no aspect of his understanding is to be faulted.
Volkan has emphasized that the narcissist in power has special
psychological advantages in terms of sustaining his grandiose self-
image. He can actually restructure his reality by devaluing or even
eliminating those who threaten his fragile self-esteem. This leads to
a tendency for the narcissistic leader to be surrounded by sycophants
who sense their leader's need for uncritical adulation and agreement
and who have been sensitized by the abrupt departure of advisers
who dared to criticize or brought unpleasant news. Thus the narcis-
sistic leader can be in touch with reality psychologically but by dint
of surrounding himself with anxious sycophants can be totally out of
touch with political reality. The savvy adviser in such circumstances
will learn to provide recommendations to the narcissist in such a way
that the leader believes it is his own idea, for example, "I agree with
your suggestion that ..."
The conscience of the narcissist is dominated by self-interest.
Unlike the sociopath, who is without an internal beacon, without an
internalized body of scruples and principles, the narcissist does
indeed have a conscience, but it is a flexible conscience. He sincerely
believes himself to be highly principled but can change positions
and commitments rapidly as "circumstances change." The righteous
indignation with which he stands in judgment of the moral failure of
others often stands in striking contrast to his own self-concerned
behavior. The sincerity of his beliefs is communicated in such a way
that the unwary may be completely persuaded of the sincerity of the
narcissist; and indeed, at that moment, he is sincere.
It is hard to identify the narcissistic personality with any consis-
tent beliefs about the world, the adversary, and so forth, because
these beliefs tend to shift. In addition, more than any other person-
ality types, what the narcissistic personality says should be viewed as
calculated for effect. Accordingly, to place great weight on the analy-
sis of core determining beliefs from speeches when dealing with a
narcissistic personality is apt to lead the unwary political analyst far
astray. Words do not convey deeply held beliefs for the narcissist.
Their only use is instrumental, to enhance his personal position and
gain admiration and support. The only central and stable belief of the