Today, politics, trying to peer through the keyhole to understand what happens in the other room of the political opposition or the majority, has incredibly evoked Sigmud Freud, highlighting a present, obsessive and persistent trait of voyeurism.
Our politicians need to look at what happens, not only in the bedroom of the individual politician, but also to scrutinize greedily what happens in the rooms of their opponents. Political voyeurism takes pleasure in looking at others, often in private or intimate situations, to carry out the necessary trick to hit a friend or opponent and throw them to public opinion, creating scandals and gossip.
Public opinion, unaware of what happens in the halls of politics, feels urged to line up to look through the keyhole, fueling a morbid, ambiguous and pre-political interest that solicits the lower belly. For politicians, it is a usual way to attract attention and show off.
In politics, peering through the keyhole serves, today, not only to expose the private and intimate behavior of the individual opponent, but also to discover illicit economic, financial and friendly behavior and then use it, at the right moment, to manipulate the politician and even blackmail him. Voyeurism has brought down Presidents, Prime Ministers and important public figures. It is an often used psychopolitical weapon, exploited to create advantages.
Another aspect that combines with this voyeuristic behavior is the iconic narcissistic behavior of politicians. It should be underlined and highlighted that politics is characterized by an emphasis on image and takes place mainly in the media, rarely involving the agora of the polis: everything is image. Just look at the local representatives, who spend their days being photographed at banal events. The important thing is to be in the photos. Be seen. There are public figures who are voiceless but iconic. A photo is worth more than a public assembly: we are in the era of the image.
Iconic narcissistic politicians willingly submit to media attention, but prefer to avoid public confrontation and cross-examination. The iconic narcissistic politician needs to be admired, is intolerant of criticism, as he wishes to construct an idealized public image of himself. He avoids comparison with the wider press, prefers one-way comparison, prefers to use social media to promote his image, to attract admiration.
One can adopt communication techniques to shape one’s image by using catchy slogans, dramatic public appearances and posing as victims of criticism or adversity, using such situations to elicit empathy and support from the public: emotional rhetoric.
Another characteristic is to devalue opponents with personal or denigrating attacks, aimed at consolidating one’s status and minimizing competition.
Furthermore, they tend to make ambitious and sometimes unrealistic promises, attracting the attention and admiration of voters, even when these cannot be kept.
In general, iconic narcissism impacts political dynamics, relationships with supporters, and the overall image of the leadership. However, if some traits of the iconic political narcissist may appear attractive or charismatic, there is also the risk that they turn into toxic and conflictual dynamics for politics and the system.
Dr. Enrico Magni, Psychologist, Journalist
