The Cult of Personality

by Ethan Meanor

Talking about how and why I wrote this one could get someone’s cheque cashed.

Introduction to the Cult of Personality

A “personality cult” can be best defined as the adulatory following of a political leader, usually created intentionally, in which the leader is seen as being a hero, and in which his image becomes associated with a certain set of ideas which are deemed beneficial to the society in general. Cults of personality are usually used to enact radical change within a given society by rallying the people behind a leader whom they feel to be infallible.

The belief in the infallibility of a leader, sometimes bordering on worship, can be seen as far back as ancient Egypt and Imperialist China, both societies having deified their rulers; in ancient Greece, the ruler was considered the embodiment of the law. This mindset has continued throughout history, as can be seen in the cases of almost all European monarchs, who maintained their positions through the doctrine that their position had been determined by God, and that to challenge the monarch was to challenge God himself. Naturally, this worked very well in suppressing dissent (Gardner).

As history has progressed, so too have the techniques used in the creation and maintenance of personality cults. While many of the specifics have changed, the psychological basis remains the same. It plays on deep-seated human desires, using man’s very nature against him — this is why it works so well.
We will begin by exploring the psychological basis of the personality cult, followed by an examination of the techniques used in creating and maintaining one.

The Psychological Basis of the Personality Cult

As previously stated, one of the reasons that the personality cult is so effective is its mastery over the basic instincts and innate desires of man. The human mind craves structure and authority, a remnant of the tribal mentality: the majority of people prefer to be led; there are a number of reasons for this. It has much to do with the nature of the human mind: in many cases, the difficulty associated with making one’s own choices, and the simplicity of life when choices are made by someone else, is also a contributing factor. It has long been known that most people respond to stressful situations by abandoning their own reason and doing as they’re told – submitting to authority (Janis & Mann).

This is why personality cults thrive in situations of political and economic turmoil. War, economic hardship, disillusionment with political leaders, and low national morale all combine to create a situation in which the public is desperate for change, and ready to accept without question any charismatic leader who promises to improve their situation. In the words of Paul Simon, “a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest:” pleasant illusions are almost always preferred to unpleasant truths.

Another aspect of the human psyche which facilitates the personality cult is the herd mentality, what is often called ‘groupthink’. As previously stated, this is a remnant of the tribal mentality, in which it is often necessary to subordinate the needs of the individual to the needs of the group. The majority feel the need to merge with a group of other people, especially under stressful circumstances, and to align their purpose with that of the leader. This may also be due in part to many individuals’ insecurity in their own purpose, and their resulting (albeit subconscious) desire to become a part of a group, and share in its purpose (Janis & Mann).

The allure of the group will be even stronger when, as is the case with all effective personality cults, it is aligned with a set of ideas which are perceived to be noble and morally righteous. This is often done by condemning one group or set of ideas, and championing another: the former is demonized, while the latter is praised endlessly. As public opinion shifts in favour of the new ideology, it becomes increasingly difficult to resist as pressure mounts to conform to the ever-growing group.

Another psychological comfort provided by personality cults is the ability to put a human face on an inhuman system, much as the Party was represented by Big Brother in Orwell’s 1984. In an effective personality cult, the group should feel as a family, its leader the loving patriarch. The leader must, in many ways, adopt the role of a parent. He must teach his followers right from wrong, rewarding good behaviour and punishing bad; he must confer responsibilities to his followers, much as a parent assigns household tasks to a child; he must ensure that his followers see him as their protector; and above all, in his role as a parent, he must ensure that his followers accept his authority without question.

It should now be readily apparent how the human mind can be manipulated, both through internal desires and external conditions, into idolizing, and indeed worshipping, a charismatic leader.

Creation and Maintenance of the Personality Cult

The surest means of building and sustaining an effective personality cult is to take full advantage of the psychological principles adduced above. For this reason, we shall now concern ourselves with the methods through which this can be accomplished.

The first and most important of these is, unsurprisingly, propaganda. Propaganda is crucial to the maintenance of any personality cult; the public must be constantly reminded of the glory and infallibility of their leader, and of the wickedness and perversity of his opposition. The information they receive must be carefully controlled, the positive maximized, the negative either ignored or downplayed. In order to maintain the public’s sense of his infallibility, it is important that the leader is never seen to be wrong.

The central technique in elevating a leader to semi-deific status is repetition. The message must be strong, and it must be inescapable. It must be impossible to walk down the street, turn on the radio or television, read the newspaper, or carry on a casual conversation without hearing it reiterated. Artists should be contracted to craft heroic depictions of the leader in paintings and sculptures, poetry and prose. At the same time, the media must be enlisted to sing the leader’s praises at every opportunity, and either ignore or sideline anything that could cause doubt. The largest revolutions are bloodless; art, carefully crafted, and information, properly presented, can bring about a revolution much just as easily as tanks and jackboots.

The importance of charisma to the leader cannot be overstated. It is absolutely crucial that he have the ability to speak convincingly, and to move his audience emotionally. In order to maximize their effect, these talents should be used to create an association in the minds of the people between the leader and a strong moral message which they will respond to. There is usually more than one obvious candidate, in which case all that remains is for the leader to become the spokesman for the message, whatever it may be.

This message often consists of the creation of a favourable and unfavourable group or set of ideas – the leader should champion one group or ideology while condemning another. This technique aids greatly in the creation of strong rhetoric. The threat posed by this wicked group or ideology fosters fear and dependence in his followers, which the leader can easily use for his own ends. He provides them with protection and guidance, and in return demands complete conformity and obedience. This is justified by the need to combat the evildoers, and any objectors are demonized for their lack of faith in the leader. Dissent comes to be associated with subversion, and the lives of dissenters typically become very difficult.

Aside from its usefulness in uniting his followers, the leader can also use this “boogeyman” to cover his own mistakes, and those of his government. Any social or economic instability can be blamed on their subversive influence. With a little creativity, there is almost no problem which a well-controlled public cannot be persuaded to believe stems from the actions of the evildoers. This aids greatly in maintaining the infallible image of the leader.

The techniques used in creating and maintaining a personality cult should now be very clear. It is these techniques which have allowed leaders to command the adoration and obedience of their subjects since time immemorial, and still do to this day.

Conclusion

The personality cult has been a fixture in civilized societies for as long as history has been recorded. Man’s capacity for following leaders seems to know no bounds, and there is never any shortage of leaders waiting to be followed. In this essay, we have explored the psychological basis of man’s desire for leaders, and the techniques by which these leaders gain their followings.

Regardless whether they are right or wrong, cults of personality show no sign of disappearing. Man cannot fight his own psychology, at least not on a mass scale. And nothing less can possibly suffice in doing away with the personality cult.