Goebbels: Psychological Profile Of The Greatest Manipulator In History
The Second World War is one of the largest war conflicts in history for which there are reliable records, one of the most documented and one of the most recent and well-known by the population of much of the globe. Hitler’s rise to power, the spread of fascism, the progression and escalation of the conflict to global levels, and the Holocaust are all familiar to most of us.
But beyond Hitler himself, perhaps the important role that the different Nazi commanders had in the conflict and the events that occurred during the war is not so well known. One of them, Joseph Goebbels, is considered one of the greatest manipulators in history being in charge of expanding, inflaming and managing Nazi ideology and information regarding the conflict as the regime’s propaganda minister.
In this article we present a brief psychological profile of Joseph Goebbels this Nazi high command.
Joseph Goebbels is a figure of great importance within Nazism, considered one of the greatest manipulators in history due to the important role he had as “Minister of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda” in using the media to offer biased information to the media that facilitated the control and domination of the regime over the population of the different areas in which it was established, in addition to promoting fear and encouraging the population against specific groups. It was characterized by using various media, such as radio, newspapers or cinema
Goebbels used various methods with which to manipulate the information he provided to citizens subjected to the Nazi regime, creating different maxims or principles for this. Among them They highlight the individualization and grouping of adversaries under the idea that it is a single enemy, the generation of invented but plausible elements to confuse and focus attention on aspects unrelated to the real news (such as when a battle was lost), the exaggeration of situations to transform them into threats and the silencing of news that favors opinions contrary to what is stipulated, the attempt to communicate the majority opinion to favor adherence to the information transmitted or the adaptation of information to the popular level.
It also used the repetition of the same story from different points of view to transform it and the continuous generation of news to generate a flow outside of which it would be difficult to organize a verification of each of them. One’s own mistakes were frequently attributed to one’s enemies and attempts were made to generate powerful emotions such as hatred towards sectors of the population (especially Jews) to promote support and maintenance of the regime’s power.
Goebbels’ role in the Nazi command was very important, although some authors consider that his position has been overestimated and that he was not taken into account when making decisions. It is also discussed whether his connection with Hitler, whom he revered, was as narrow as he seemed to believe. In any case, his role and actions led to and promoted the maintenance of the power of Nazism, the spread of anti-Semitism and the persecution of this group.
Psychological profile of Goebbels: difficulties in establishing a profile
Although Goebbels occupied an important position and there is evidence of numerous aspects of his life, it is not easy to create a completely valid or reliable psychological profile. Since there is no evidence that any psychological evaluation of the subject was carried out and there are no possibilities of carrying it out since the subject has died, it is not possible to carry out an exact or adequate psychological profile.
In this way it is only from the existing data on their actions, the records of their activity and the statements of relatives that it is possible extract the presence of possible personality factors
Aspects inferred from his role, actions and statements
Although it is not possible to establish a completely valid profile of Joseph Goebbels, some of the most notable personality traits that reflect his actions and attitudes throughout his life are highlighted below.
Feelings of inferiority and self-hatred
Goebbels was a man who from childhood stood out for the existence of a malformation in his right foot caused by osteomyelitis that would make him lame throughout his life. He was also short in stature and weak in build.
Likewise, throughout his education, the family’s economic capacity was precarious, so he had to depend on the charity of acquaintances and relatives. All this contributed to Goebbels internalized a bad self-image calling himself disgusting or poor devil on more than one occasion.
The aforementioned feelings of inferiority made him a resentful man, because was often humiliated in childhood and as an adult he accumulated various failures such as not being accepted into the army due to his disability, love failures and failures in his aspirations as a writer.
This resentment would be enhanced by the defeat and conditions of Germany after the First World War, and would cause him to join the Nazi regime and subsequently spread hatred towards the Jews and the expansion of the ideology of Hitler and his party.
Cunning and intelligence
From a young age, Goebbels stood out for his high intelligence and in adulthood he designed and applied a large number of propaganda mechanisms taking into account the different media at his disposal (using all the media and the arts for this).
High handling capacity
Goebbels did not arrive at the position of propaganda minister by chance: he was characterized by knowing how to channel and transform the emotions, attitudes and beliefs of the German population of the time and direct it. He was also well versed in human communication and its effects, as well as persuasion. It was common for him to distort the facts in front of that different catastrophes and massacres were understood by society as something necessary and positive will relate to the enemy and hide different facts and information from the community.
Need for recognition and dependency
One of Goebbels’ most notable characteristics was his need to be recognized, derived from his feeling of inferiority and his narcissism. This need for recognition is often observed in his self-denial and treatment of his leader, whom he would come to treat as if she were a messiah.
Meticulousness
Another trait that seems to stand out from the Nazi propaganda minister is the existence of a high degree of meticulousness. This is perceptible in the fact that he took into account not only the most common media such as radio and the press but also the arts as a whole when developing his propaganda, as well as in developing a system that allow keep the population controlled and directed towards the ideals and ideologies of Nazism.
Desire for power
Another aspect that can be extrapolated from Goebbels’ behavior is the presence of a strong desire for power, linked to the need for recognition. This would lead him to rub shoulders with members of German high society and his great involvement in the formation of an intricate propaganda apparatus that elevated Hitler and Nazism
Goebbels expressed, both publicly and in his diaries, an exacerbated level of fanaticism towards Hitler and Nazism. Although he sometimes did not agree with his decisions, he considered him a messiah and little less than a demigod, according to his diary. This fanaticism can be seen in his speeches especially in those made during the last days of the war in which he asked for either victory or the sacrifice of his people.
Dramatics
As with other Nazi leaders such as Hitler himself, Goebbels had a facility for resorting to drama, both in his oratory and in his personal life. It can also be seen in the way he ended his life, committing suicide with his wife after killing their children one day after their leader did the same (which in turn is a reflection of his fanaticism towards his leader and towards the ideals). of Nazism).
Lack of empathy and cruelty
The messages transmitted and the manipulation of the image of people and groups such as the Jews or the Soviets suggest a lack of empathy, leading the population to hate part of the citizenry, justifying murders and massacres, organizing riots or even stipulating during his time as district head of Berlin the deportation of all Jews from his district to Auswitch and other concentration camps.
Narcissism
According to Longerich, author of one of the last biographies of Goebbels and based largely on the latter’s diaries, Goebbels had narcissistic traits He tended to exaggerate his achievements, consider himself an intellectual, and distort reality to conform to his ideal. He also had a high need for recognition and it was common for him to seek contact with the social elite. Likewise, his lack of empathy towards the Jewish people or the arrogance with which he referred to his enemies is characteristic.
Doob, L. W. (1985). Goebbels and his propaganda principles. In De Moragas, M. (ed.): Sociology of mass communication. Barcelona; Gustavo Gili
Longerich, P. (2012). Goebbels. A biography. RBA Books.
Thacker, T. (2010). Joseph Goebbels. Life and death. Navarra, Spain: Planeta.
