Why power changes personality

Access to power transforms those who wield it. This observation, far from being anecdotal, is supported by a body of research documenting potentially profound changes in the personalities of leaders. “Hubris syndrome”—analyzed in other publications [1-3]—is the most spectacular manifestation of this, but the phenomenon goes beyond this single pathology. This article examines the characteristic transformations of power: excessive confidence, erosion of empathy, emergence of narcissistic traits. Our analysis is structured around three explanatory levels: psychological processes (cognitive biases, status dependence), interpersonal and institutional dynamics (isolation, flattery, ineffectiveness of countervailing powers), and neurobiological foundations (changes in the dopaminergic and hormonal systems). We will discuss the implications of these personality changes: their effects on the leader’s individual, family, and professional mental health, on the one hand, and their consequences for democratic stability and collective well-being, on the other.