Norman Sandridge

The Psychology of Alcibiades

"In this lecture I make the argument that Plutarch's portrait of the fifth-century Athenian statesman, Alcibiades, shares many character traits with the contemporary construct of the psychopath, namely, grandiosity, low emotional affect, instrumental aggression, and chameleon-like versatility. Moreover, Alcibiades' conduct as a leader, again as described by Plutarch, can help us appreciate our own contemporary ambivalence toward psychopathic leadership in the fields of politics and beyond." Read more