Authoritarianism’s Favorite Disorder: Why Strongmen and the Unstable Find Each Other

Authoritarianism doesn’t just tolerate instability — it thrives on it. Strongmen crave absolute control, and the unstable crave the certainty that autocracy promises. Together, they form a feedback loop of delusion and repression that can dismantle a democracy faster than any coup.

When instability sits in the big chair, democracy doesn’t just wobble — it collapses. Authoritarians love the unwell, and the unwell love the power authoritarianism gives them. It’s not politics. It’s a dangerous codependency.

5 Signs Your Leader Is Using Instability as a Weapon

1. Constant Whiplash Policy Changes

   • Keeps opponents confused and allies dependent.

2. Loyalty Over Competence

   • Positions filled by yes-men, not experts.

3. Public Feuds and Sudden Purges

   • A culture of fear ensures no one feels secure enough to challenge them.

4. Unpredictable Threats and Promises

   • Creates a crisis-driven news cycle that centers the leader at all times.

5. Shifting Reality to Fit the Leader’s Narrative

   • Facts are rewritten daily; yesterday’s truth is today’s “fake news.”

This isn't just about personality defects, but societal and political ones.

The Republican 2012 autopsy was a report that analyzed the party's defeat in the 2012 election, concluding that it was out of touch with a changing America and needed to modernize its approach to demographics, youth, digital outreach, and messaging. It recommended a more inclusive tone and significant investment in data and technology to attract a broader base of voters.

Despite the "autopsy's" recommendations to become more inclusive and appeal to a broader, more diverse electorate, the Republican Party, particularly under Donald Trump's leadership, largely embraced a populist, base-mobilization strategy.

This approach focused on energizing its core constituencies—primarily white working-class voters—rather than expanding its appeal to minority groups and young people. The party also moved away from the report's call for comprehensive immigration reform, instead adopting a more hardline stance.

History has no shortage of strongmen — and no shortage of unstable leaders. The disturbing truth is that authoritarianism doesn’t just survive in the presence of instability; it thrives on it. Strongmen crave absolute control, and the unstable crave the certainty that autocracy promises. Together, they form a dangerous codependency that can dismantle a democracy faster than any coup.

The Magnetic Pull Between Disorder and Power

Certain personality traits — grandiosity, paranoia, lack of empathy, a compulsion to punish perceived enemies — aren’t flaws in an authoritarian system; they’re job qualifications.
In democratic societies, these traits would raise alarms. In authoritarian structures, they’re rewarded because loyalty to the leader outranks competence, and instability keeps subordinates off-balance.

Trump as Exhibit A

Donald Trump’s presidency — both as POTUS45 and now POTUS47 — offers a case study in this toxic dynamic.
From his “I alone can fix it” rhetoric to his open admiration of Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, and other autocrats, Trump has shown an instinctive alignment with those who rule through fear, not consent. His politics aren’t simply about ideology; they’re about creating a system where his personal whims become the law of the land.

Why Authoritarian Systems Love the Unstable

An unstable leader doesn’t govern through steady policy; they govern through unpredictable decrees. This unpredictability isn’t a bug — it’s a feature. It forces everyone around them to stay reactive, to guess what the leader wants, and to prove loyalty through constant public displays of devotion.
Look at Stalin’s paranoia, Hitler’s military delusions, or Kim Jong-un’s theatrical brinkmanship. In each case, instability wasn’t a weakness that toppled the regime — it was part of what kept it in power.

The Feedback Loop

The relationship between instability and authoritarianism is self-reinforcing:

• Instability fuels authoritarianism — when reality is threatening, the leader reaches for more control.

• Authoritarianism fuels instability — with no checks or accountability, delusion grows unchecked.

The longer such a leader holds power, the more detached they become from reality, and the more aggressively they reshape the system to serve their own psychology.

Why Democracies Should Worry

In democracies, we’re told to judge leaders by policy, not personality. But history warns that when personality disorders sit in the executive chair, policy becomes secondary — survival of the leader becomes the only priority.
The “that’s just how he is” shrug is a luxury only safe democracies think they can afford. The problem is, by the time a democracy realizes it isn’t safe anymore, it’s often too late.

Bottom line: Authoritarianism’s favorite disorder isn’t an accident of history. It’s part of the design. And unless we take that seriously, we may wake up one day to find the design has replaced our democracy entirely.

Compiled with aid of ChatGPT 5