There are some syndromes or mental pathologies that are not classified within the classifying diagnostic manuals of mental disorders (ICD and DSM); However, many of them are known by mental health professionals and in some cases they are taken into account in clinical practice in order to find the best treatment.
Hubris syndrome, which would be one of those syndromes that are 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 common in people with high power.
In this article we will talk in more detail about Hubris syndrome and to do this we will explain what its symptoms are and what job positions the people who usually develop this little-known psychological alteration usually have in most cases.
Hubris syndrome, also known as “Hybris syndrome” (in Greek (ὕβρις, hýbris), meaning excessive arrogance or pride, was first described by former politician David Owen and also by psychiatrist Jonathan Davidson to use it as a diagnostic table to classify the excessive power of some political figures.
In their research on Hubris syndrome, Owen and Davidson analyzed the psychological profiles of the presidents of the United States and the prime ministers of the United Kingdom who had served in office in the last 100 years and what they found was that 7 of the presidents of the United States 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.
On the other hand, among the British prime ministers there were 4 who fit the diagnosis of Hubris syndrome: David Lloyd George, Neville Chamberlain, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Furthermore, apart from those who fit this syndrome, all the other prime ministers analyzed had shown signs of possessing excessive pride (Winston Churchill, Herbert Asquith and Anthony Eden).
Hubris syndrome arises in those people who develop a personality change when they find themselves in a position of power, such as a high political position; although it can also occur in any other field such as business (e.g., CEOs of large companies).
In any case, Hubris syndrome consists of the development by people who are in a high position of extreme pride, possessing excessive self-confidence, along with some derogatory forms of behavior towards other people, especially towards those who have a more humble job ; which means that all these character traits lead the person who develops Hubris syndrome to behave impulsively, which can even be destructive.
Although it is not a syndrome that is specified in the main diagnostic manuals (DSM and ICD), it is recognized within the fields of psychology and psychiatry, being considered a subtype of narcissistic personality disorder (cluster B ).
Symptoms of Hubris syndrome
Owen and Davidson described a diagnostic picture of Hubris syndrome with the characteristic symptoms these being the ones we are going to list below:
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 diagnose a clinical condition, it is convenient to explain what its relationship is with narcissistic personality disorder, since it could be said that 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 Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) would be that pattern of need for admiration, a feeling of grandiosity and a lack of empathy towards others which usually begins at the beginning of adulthood. For the diagnosis of this personality disorder, where Hubris syndrome was classified as a subtype, the DSM-5 establishes 9 criteria, of which at least 5 or more must be present, these criteria being the ones that we will see below:
As we have seen when looking at the diagnostic criteria for Hubris syndrome and narcissistic personality disorder, there is a high degree of parallelism between both disorders, it is worth noting that 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 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder in the DSM-5 coincide with Hubris syndrome; However, we can also observe that there are slight differences between the two.
Related article: “Narcissistic Personality Disorder: causes and symptoms”
Causes
Hubris syndrome does not usually develop suddenly its symptoms appearing overnight, but normally they tend to develop progressively, an example of which we are going to present below.
As we had previously mentioned, Hubris syndrome is usually developed by people in high positions, regardless of the field, so that upon reaching said position, the most normal thing is that during the first days or even weeks they have a lot of doubts about their abilities. functions and also of each decision that they must make. But over time, if things go as expected, they will begin to feel more confident in themselves and that is when they consider that they are worthy of the position.
When things are going well, praise arrives, acting as a reinforcer that will make your ego expand and begin to increase your self-esteem and 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 arrogance begins, feeling superior to others, causing him to have a negative relationship. with other people distant or perhaps even contemptuous.
When the person has reached a degree of pride in their way of being and acting, that is when they can develop a certain paranoia, so that they will think that other people are envious of them and also He may come to believe that other people want to overthrow him from office This can lead to unhappiness for that person and those around him, and makes it difficult for him to correctly carry out the functions of his position and this would cause him to lose his position.
When a person with Hubris syndrome loses his position, he is normally incredulous because he considers that he was the ideal person to hold it, and this could cause him to fall into a strong depressive state.
