The Psychology of Authoritarian Politics

Authoritarian systems are hierarchicial in which those in power define themselves as morally superior to those below. When a person is addressed as "your majesty" or "your lordship" his/her skills and human qualities are removed from all discussions of the actual skills that person might or might not have to be a leader. When the supreme leader justifies his/her decisions as having been given by God all criticism ceases to exist. Those who are critical of their leadership are labled as disobedient, traitors, heretics, or in our modern society mentally ill or deranged.