Introduction
Most influential people in the world have exhibited narcissistic behavior. This phenomenon can be defined as the act of great self-admiration (King, 2007). Narcissistic individuals are consumed with great love for themselves and consider themselves personal heroes. According to Rosenthal and Pittinsky (2006), this behavior is comparable to the perverse form of self-love. A person is considered to be narcissistic if he or she has the main goal of self-preservation (Freud, 1920).
Lyndon Johnson
One of the leaders in American history considered to be highly narcissistic is Lyndon Baines Johnson. He had presidential ambitions in 1960 but only ended as a running mate. The disappointment with which he accepted the Vice President role is an evidence of narcissism. Based on the success and assertiveness exhibited in his ancestry, President Johnson must have had the inner conviction that he was the best and deserved the best. That self-centeredness was pronounced in the reluctance to take the second position. He had hoped to beat J.F. Kennedy in the campaigns, but the results did not favor him. The narcissistic character in President Johnson is seen in the acute desire to seek state power, control, and wealth that came with it. For a narcissistic leader, defeat means rejection of his personality (Russell, 2011).
Lyndon Johnson had a great admiration from friends and foes. He refused to be identified with failures and considered himself the best. This great self-drive won the hearts of many people who became his ardent supporters and friends. As a person, Lyndon was very assertive. People who interacted with Johnson in office during negotiations confess that he was intimidating especially to those who held diverse opinions. He confessed to having sought power to deliver things to the people especially the needy and the blacks.
President Johnson demonstrated a combination of reactive and constructive narcissism. Constructively, he used his strong persuasive power to champion for the rights of the minorities. His strategy on the civil rights movement and towards the blacks also gave him a great admiration. He ensured that legislation was enacted to give the blacks the right to vote and outlawed segregation. This was an example of the use of the great admiration a leader has to bring productive development (Kohut, 1966). He used the admiration and influence that he had to ensure major legislations pass through congress as opposed to his predecessor, President Kennedy. The other result of his great positive narcissism was the expansion of the space program. In general, President Johnson achieved development programs that were beneficial to the poor including educational funding.
The reactive narcissism was also evident in the life of Johnson. As a Vice President, Johnson never believed as truth the image that President Kennedy had portrayed to the people as being intellectual. President Kennedy referred to Lyndon as an insecure, sensitive man, and having a big ego. The effect of this made President Kennedy to ensure that he always kept Vice President Johnson happy. This implies that the self-centred influential leaders are a great threat to their bosses especially if their egos are not appealed to. President Kennedy feared what his Vice would do with the massive media contacts that he had. The effect of this reactive narcissism is twofold. First, the narcissistic leader in a subordinate position ought to be assured of importance for the effective delivery of the organizational objectives. The second scenario is the narcissistic leader being on the top of the organization. This requires that the juniors be careful not hurt the self-greatness image of the boss. They just need to find a way of working with the boss in a more harmonious. The notable failure that Johnson encountered was the Vietnam War. He approved the war based on his egoistic fears, and the war became an embarrassment to the United States. The insecurity of Johnson and his self-conviction led him to launch the Vietnam War (Divine, 1997).
References
Divine, R. A. (1997). Shame and Humiliation: Presidential Decision Making on Vietnam. Political Science Quarterly, 112(1), 168-170.
Freud, S. (1920). The International Journal of Psycho-analysis. Routledge.
King, G. (2007). Narcissism and effective crisis management: A review of potential problems and pitfalls. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 15(4), 183-193.
Kohut, H. (1966). Forms and transformations of narcissism. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic association.
Rosenthal, S. A., & Pittinsky, T. L. (2006). Narcissistic leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 617-633.
Russell, G. (2011). Psychiatry and politicians: the ‘hubris syndrome’. The Psychiatrist, 35(4), 140-145.
