Do You Identify with the Aggressor?

Abstract

Everyone was scared of Derek, a senior VP in an engineering firm. His temper tantrums were legendary. When he felt crossed, he would publicly castigate whoever got in his way. His tendency toward extreme micro-management made him insufferable. And if this behaviour wasn’t enough, he kept taking credit for other people’s work, which created huge resentment. Unsurprisingly, given his leadership style, his subordinates were perpetually on edge, always wondering when it would be their turn to be his target. Derek’s toxic behaviour pervaded the whole company and had a seriously negative impact on morale.

The tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man. … It constitutes the powerful obstacle to culture.

—Sigmund Freud

Aggression unopposed becomes a contagious disease.

—Jimmy Carter