Hubris syndrome: what it is, symptoms, and causes

There are some syndromes or mental pathologies that are not classified within the classification diagnostic manuals of mental disorders (CIE and DSM); however, many of them are known by mental health professionals and in some cases are taken into account in clinical practice in order to find the best treatment.

Hubris syndrome, which would be one of those syndromes that is not included in either the DSM or the ICD, is characterized by an excess of arrogance that some people present and that exceeds the limits of what could be considered normal, being more frequent in people with a high can.

In this article we will talk in more detail about Hubris syndrome, and for this we will explain what its symptoms are and what job positions people who usually develop this little-known psychological alteration usually have in most cases.

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What is Hubris syndrome?

Hubris syndrome, also known as "Hybris syndrome" (in Greek (ὕβρις, hýbris), which means excessive arrogance or of pride, was first described by ex-politician David Owen and also by psychiatrist Jonathan Davidson to use as a

a diagnostic chart to classify the excessive power of some political figures.

In their research on the Hubris syndrome, Owen and Davidson analyzed the psychological profiles of the presidents of the United States and of the first UK ministers who had served in the last 100 years and what they found was that 7 of the US presidents had shown personality traits related to arrogance (Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, John Kennedy, and George W. Bush. However, only one of the presidents mentioned could fit the diagnosis of Hubris syndrome, and that was George W. Bush.

In contrast, among the British prime ministers there were 4 who fit the diagnosis of a Hubris syndrome: David Lloyd George, Neville Chamberlain, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. In addition, apart from those who fit this syndrome, all the other prime ministers analyzed had shown signs of excessive pride (Winston Churchill, Herbert Asquith, and Anthony Eden).

Hubris syndrome arises in those people who develop a personality change when they are in a power job, such as a high political position; although it can also occur in any other field such as business (p. g., the CEOs of large companies).

In any of the cases, the Hubris syndrome consists of the development by some people who are in a high position of extreme pride, possessing excessive self-confidence, along with with contemptuous forms of behavior towards other people, especially towards those who have a more humble job; what makes all these character traits lead that person who develops Hubris syndrome to behave impulsively, and can even become destructive.

Although it is not a syndrome that is specified in the main diagnostic manuals (DSM and ICD), it is recognized within from the fields of psychology and psychiatry, being considered as a subtype of narcissistic personality disorder (cluster B).

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Symptoms of Hubris syndrome

Owen and Davidson described a diagnostic picture of Hubris syndrome with the characteristic symptoms, these being the ones that we are going to list below:

• He tends to see the world as the stage on which to perform his power and achieve glory.
• He performs certain actions in order to enhance his own image and self-glorification.
• He identifies with the organization, the state and the nation.
• The subject is obsessed with his self-image.
• He frequently uses his power for self-glorification.
• He has excessive self-confidence and also shows contempt for others and makes harsh criticism.
• He has suffered a loss of contact with reality, and there may be a progressive isolation.
• He can come to consider himself as a messiah, speaking in a messianic way to talk about any action of his.
• He has a tendency to talk about himself in the third person and to talk about us he uses a regal form.
• engages in impulsive and reckless behavior
• He has a conviction of moral rectitude about his proposals without worrying about the costs.
• Performs job duties incompetently, caused by overconfidence.
• He has the belief that he is accountable to no one.
• He firmly believes that the highest courts (history or God if he is religious), will absolve him of his evil deeds.

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Relationship between narcissistic personality disorder and Hubris syndrome

Once we have seen what Hubris syndrome consists of and what are the possible symptoms that should be identified to carry out the diagnosis of a clinical picture, it is convenient to explain what its relationship is with the narcissistic personality disorder, since it could be said that the Hubris syndrome is a subtype of this disorder that we can find classified within diagnostic manuals on mental disorders such as the DSM-5.

In the DSM-5 the narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) would be that pattern of need for admiration, feeling of grandiosity and a lack of empathy towards others It usually begins in early adulthood. For the diagnosis of this personality disorder, where I wanted to classify Hubris syndrome as a subtype, in the DSM-5 there are 9 criteria have been established, of which at least 5 or more of them must be present, these criteria being the ones that we will see below. continuation:

• The subject lacks empathy.
• Having a grandiose feeling of importance about oneself.
• The subject considers that he is unique and special.
• The subject is preoccupied with a series of fantasies about power, ideal love, and unlimited success.
• He considers that he has a unique and special sense of entitlement.
• Claims excessive admiration.
• Acts exploitatively with others.
• He often believes that other people envy him and/or is envious.
• Behaves arrogantly or arrogantly.

As we have been able to verify when looking at the diagnostic criteria for Hubris syndrome and the disorder narcissistic personality, there is a high degree of parallelism between both disorders, it is worth noting what about 7 of the 14 diagnostic symptoms that Owen proposed for Hubris syndrome are also characteristic of narcissistic personality disorder. On the other hand, at least 6 of the 9 DSM-5 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder are consistent with Hubris syndrome; however, we can also observe that there are slight differences between the two.

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Causes

Hubris syndrome does not usually develop abruptly, with its symptoms appearing overnight, but usually develop progressively, an example being the one we are going to present below.

As we mentioned before, Hubris syndrome is usually developed by people with high positions, whatever the field, so that when reaching said position, the most normal thing is that during the first days or even weeks they have many doubts about their functions and also about each decision that they will have to make. taking. But over time, if things go according to plan, they will begin to feel more confident in themselves and that is when they consider that they are worthy of the position.

When things go well compliments arrive, acting as a reinforcer that will make your ego expand and he begins to increase his self-esteem and his self-confidence, being able to reach excessive levels. And, when this occurs, that person can begin to be arrogant, so that he will feel indispensable, believing that success will last permanently. and this is when the arrogance begins, feeling superior to others, causing him to have a distant relationship with other people or maybe even contemptuous.

When the person has reached a degree of arrogance in his way of being and acting, it is when he can develop a certain paranoia, so that he will think that other people are envious of him and also he may come to believe that other people want to remove him from office. This can lead to unhappiness for that person and those around him, and makes it difficult for him to properly carry out the functions of his position and this could cause him to lose it.

When a person with Hubris syndrome loses their position, they are usually incredulous because he considers that he was the ideal person to exercise it, and this could cause him to fall into a strong cadre depressant.