In a thought-provoking discussion, Brian Klaas, an Associate Professor of Global Politics, delves into why the worst individuals often rise to power. He argues that power should be seen as a burden rather than a privilege. Klaas highlights the dark triad personality traits—Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy—that can influence leadership effectiveness. He advocates for psychological screening to discern the true intentions of those seeking power, ensuring that leaders prioritize the greater good over personal gain.
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insights INSIGHT
Power Should Be A Burden
Power should be psychologically costly so leaders feel the weight of their decisions.
Brian Klaas argues leaders must live with harms their choices cause to maintain moral accountability.
insights INSIGHT
Dark Triad Components Play Different Roles
The dark triad splits into Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy with distinct effects.
Klaas says Machiavellianism helps strategize for power while narcissism aids popularity and payoffs.
insights INSIGHT
Strategy Wins Power; Psychopathy Hurts Leadership
Machiavellianism aids long-term strategy and thus helps people gain power.
Psychopathy increases risk-taking and power hunger but often produces poor leadership once in charge.
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Why do the worst people rise to power? University College London professor Brian Klaas responds.
George Washington famously didn’t want to become the president of the United States, but he accepted the job and performed it well. That’s how people should feel about important leadership positions, according to how political scientist Brian Klaas thinks about the role of power in society.
Klaas says that power should be a burden on people because leaders have to make decisions that will ultimately have negative consequences for many people. One problem: some humans don’t care about those consequences. And, according to Klaas, our institutions don’t do a very good job of screening these people out of important leadership spots.
Klaas suggests implementing psychological screening for top jobs, asking questions to determine why someone seeks power, and identifying whether they are in it for themselves or for the greater good. These measures can help to ensure that the right people are in positions of power, whether that means leading a company, governing a nation, or handling nuclear weapons.
0:00 Power should be a burden / Power should keep you up at night
1:18: The dark triad personality traits
1:43 Machiavellianism
2:06 Narcissism
2:40 Psychopathy
4:04 Psychological screening for powerful jobs
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About Brian Klaas:
Associate Professor of Global Politics at University College London, Contributing Writer for The Atlantic, author of Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, and Creator/Host of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast.
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