The Psychological Assessment of Political Leaderslabor—its purpose is but to serve as a means for reassurance and sup-
porting the personal needs for attention of the narcissistic individual.
Yet if the followers of the narcissist are able to convey ideas to him
or her in such a way that they seem to be embellishments of his or
her own ideas, this can be effective, as long as they do not try to take
credit themselves for the ideas. Bright individuals seeking to shine
themselves do not last long in the circle of the narcissist. The narcis-
sist in subtle fashion often plays one adviser against another to ensure
that he is the supreme leader, the major domo. The narcissist in
power is particularly apt to stimulate the collective decision-making
malady of groupthink.
The Obsessive-Compulsive Personality in Power
The obsessive-compulsive (O-C) personality is frequently encoun-
tered in government and business executives, scientists and engi-
neers, academic scholars, and military leaders. The strengths of this
personality style—organizational ability, attention to detail, empha-
sis on rational process—all can contribute to significant professional
success. But when these traits become exaggerated, the strengths can
become disabilities. This extremity comprises the O-C personality
disorder. The O-C personality places heavy reliance on the ego
defense of intellectualization, emphasizing rationality and abhorring
emotionality, which implies lack of control.
In summary form, the essential features of the O-C personality dis-
order are the following: preoccupation with matters of rules, order,
organization, efficiency, and detail, with a loss of ability to focus on
"the big picture"; indecisiveness; insistence that others submit to his
or her way of doing things; excessive devotion to work and produc-
tivity to the exclusion of pleasure; serious and formal relationships
with others; and restricted ability to express warm and tender emo-
tions. These features will be described in detail to shed caricatured
light on qualities that, in more subtle form, can systematically
influence decision making and can adversely affect crisis decision
making.
Although maximal efficiency and perfection are the idealized goal,
they are, of course, never attained. Time is regularly poorly allocated,
with the most important tasks left to the last moment. There is an
inappropriate preoccupation with trivial details, causing the indi-