Descent Into Pathocracy
Below I will provide you with a summary of
Andrzej Łobaczewski’s book Political Ponerology from ChatGBT , after some prompts by me. It described it far better than I could. Having read the book I can vouch for it
Łobaczewski’s describes soft times as a precondition for descent into Pathocracy but I believe following soft times this can be accelerated by Social Turbulence as described by Eric Trist and Fred Emery
1963-Eric Trist, the chairman of Tavistock's governors described his and Tavistock's work on mass brainwashing, delineating in detail his theory of "social turbulence," based upon the theories of Hegel, although again, Trist is far more quick to cite Lewin.
Trist postulated that the administering of a series of traumatizing shocks upon a society would destabilize it, lowering the overall character of the society's reasoning.
If the shocks were repeated over a period of years, there would be a shift in mental capacity to a more infantile form
Under such conditions, the psychotic adaptations of values would become "normative" or accepted; what was once thought to be abnormal would become normal.
Trist suggested that by late 1963 the world had moved into a condition of "permanent social turbulence" that would serve to usher in a new condition of society, a new paradigm, and a new possibility for remaking the face of the planet.
The "shocks" of the 1960s were the Cuban missile crisis, the sequence of brutal political assassinations escalation of the Vietnam War following the JFK murder and its coverup; and the urban riots and student riots
The shocks continued into the 70’s with Watergate, Oil Shortages and Stagflation
1975, In Futures We Are In, a book published Fred Emery, the three stages of societal disintegration of Trist's paradigm shift are laid out.
The first stage is called superficiality, in which people start to break the bonds with the societal values of the past, the values of Judeo-Christian civilization. Superficiality results in the collapse of moral judgment, says Emery.
The next, lower stage of societal disintegration is called segmentation, in which the larger institutions of society start to disintegrate, and the focus moves from the nation-state to the local community, then to retreat into small and increasingly more paranoid groups, whose interests are pitted against each other.
Then disassociation. The individual becomes the societal unit, withdrawing from society into a "world in which fantasy and reality are indistinguishable," and in which the difference between fantasy and reality hardly matters
Man is reduced to a worldview dominated by "fantasy and superstition," in which he trusts no one. Government-by-reason is impossible, thus it and all its institutions must give way to "direct decisionmaking," with decisions made by "feeling states."
1975, National Institute of Mental Health funded an overall evaluation of behavior modification approaches. Its conclusions were that these techniques should be applied to the general population of the world, and to larger numbers than ever before.
Despite the shocks of the 60’s and 70’s the population managed to resist Pathocracy, yet it was not unscathed. Democracy was too strong and the population was too homogenous united in Christianity and its Whiteness. The Trilateral Commission called it a Crisis in Democracy. Problem was we had too much of it. Our Corporate Elite operating through the Business Round Table ,inspired by Lewis Powell Memo in 1971 , with the help of SCOTUS would change that. Immigration policy, increasing secularization and partisan politics contributed to its demise.
Following 20 years of neoliberal economics we headed into the 21st Century following a stolen election. The Rest is history. The 21st century has been nothing but turbulent. 9/11, Anthrax, China admitted to WTO, SARS, Iraq/Afghan Wars, Global Financial Crisis and loss of American Dream, Woke, COVID, Inflation, Excess Immigration, Genocide, $32 trillion in debt in 21st century alone.
Concurrently, there has been a gradual loss of empathy among the population to the point its openly disdained by folks like Elon Musk, which is probably why we support a Genocide and taking away benefits from the poor and sending immigrants to foreign torture centers and Alligator Alcatraz for a crime (being illegal) that carries a 6 month sentence , and even those who are authorized are sent there.
Anyways, here is ChatGBT
Andrzej Łobaczewski’s Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes explores how pathological individuals, particularly those with psychopathic traits, can rise to positions of power—especially during periods when societies become ideologically complacent or morally weakened. Here’s how he frames the process:
1. “Soft Times” Breed Psychological Naïveté
Łobaczewski suggests that peaceful, prosperous, or ideologically rigid societies can develop a kind of collective psychological immaturity or naïveté. In such “soft times,” people tend to:
• Overestimate human goodness and downplay the existence of evil or manipulation.
• Lose contact with harsh realities like violence, betrayal, or the true nature of power struggles.
• Suppress critical thinking by clinging to ideological dogmas (religious, political, or otherwise).
This naiveté makes people less able to recognize pathological personalities or defend against their influence.
2. Psychopaths Exploit Moral Blind Spots
Łobaczewski focuses heavily on psychopathy, particularly individuals with:
• No empathy or remorse.
• Charisma and manipulative social skills.
• A desire for dominance and control.
In “soft” societies, these individuals camouflage themselves by mimicking the moral or ideological language of the time. Over time, they:
• Gain influence in institutions.
• Form networks with other pathological individuals.
• Reshape norms to erode empathy, integrity, and truth.
He calls this process “ponerogenesis”—the genesis of evil within a society.
3. Pathocracy: Rule by the Pathologically Diseased
When these dynamics progress far enough, Łobaczewski argues that society can shift into a “pathocracy”—a system in which psychologically disordered individuals dominate the government, media, education, and culture.
Key features of a pathocracy:
• The marginalization of normal, empathetic people from power.
• Suppression of truth through redefined language and corrupted ideology.
• Normalization of cruelty, lies, and moral inversion.
Under a pathocracy, even people who are not pathological begin to mimic the behavior and thinking of the ruling elite out of fear, careerism, or psychological adaptation.
4. Ideological Masking
Łobaczewski emphasizes that evil often hides behind ideology. He saw totalitarian regimes—especially communist ones—as examples where:
• Pathological elites used ideological slogans to manipulate well-meaning people.
• The ideology served as a mask to justify dehumanization, repression, and lies.
Importantly, this isn’t limited to one political side. Any ideology—left, right, religious, or secular—can be co-opted.
5. Immunity Requires Psychological Insight
A central takeaway from Łobaczewski is that moral and intellectual virtue alone are insufficient defenses. Societies need psychological knowledge, especially about:
• Personality disorders (psychopathy, narcissism, paranoia).
• Group dynamics under stress or manipulation.
• Cognitive biases that make people vulnerable to pathological influence.
Without this insight, societies are likely to repeat cycles of ponerogenesis.
Summary
Łobaczewski argues that in comfortable or ideologically dogmatic societies, people become psychologically vulnerable to manipulative psychopaths who exploit their moral blind spots. Over time, these individuals can capture institutions, marginalize healthy individuals, and establish a pathocracy—a rule by the emotionally and morally disordered. Only through deep psychological awareness can a society guard against this process.
End ChatGBT
I hate to say it but we are in a Pathocracy now. Too late to guard against it, and probably too late to reverse it.