Psychobiography in Context: Predicting the Behavior of Tyrants

Abstract Psychobiography can help solve political puzzles, as long as political behavior is not seen reductively as a simple reenactment of childhood adaptations. As Schultz (chap. 1 this vol.) points out, excessive reductionism signifies bad psychobiography. Behavior, after all, is modulated by context, and the political leader with great power is in a very special position—able, perhaps, to change the environment in which he and others operate. It is this interaction—particularly relevant in the case of a tyrant—that is the focus of this study. I look at how certain leaders affect their environment and how their behavior is in turn influenced by what they create.