Physical maltreatment during childhood and adolescence can induce psychological abnormalities, in particular, paranoid ideation, in genetically predisposed, neurotic or initially healthy individuals. Psychopathological approach to politics is successful if it identifies leaders with impaired mental competence. Certain war instigators have been paranoid in their tendency to attack delusional goals. Repressed shame may contribute to aggression. Reasoning and negotiations with paranoiacs are unpromising. An attempt is made here to apply psychopathology to Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine. Mental derangements in politicians are dangerous and must be diagnosed on the basis of speech, writings, and behavior. More expert opinion is needed.

Keywords

Paranoia; Child abuse; Vladimir Putin; Russia; Armed conflict

The psychopathological approach to politics is successful if it identifies politicians and ideologists with limited mental competence [1]. If a leader is psychotic while other functions are more or less intact, he or she can preserve abilities to remain in the position of power [2]. This is precarious in authoritarian regimes with inefficient democratic procedures. Several Soviet leaders had mental abnormalities [3]. There is some readiness to follow paranoid path in the broad public. A leader may just give form to a group sentiment to blame foreigners for inner problems [4]. It is possible for a majority to be deluded and minority not to be deluded. Certain populations can subscribe to delusions at large [1]. In conditions of the Soviet-trained collectivism and mass intimidation almost everybody voted the ruling party.

People have been systematically intimidated in Russia by media, TV series, extortion e.g. by plumbers performing repairs in private flats. The media often exaggerate violence, especially in penal institutions with the goal of mass intimidation. For example, the popular actor Leonid Kanevsky, the host and main figure behind the NTV crime documentary series “The investigation led by...”, repeatedly makes exaggerating and approving remarks on harassment and lynching in Russian prisons, using the phrases like: “He didn’t survive his jail term… Prison inmates don’t like such people”. Violence and hidden threats have been used to control and intimidate certain professionals and students to deter them from criticism of misconduct e.g. in medical practice and research [5,6]. Intimidated people are an easy prey for a dictator.

Homogeneity of thinking is a predictor of conformism that is conducive to dictatorship [7]. Of all paranoid delusions, those of persecution and grandiosity most readily lend themselves to the politics. A paranoid individual dismisses disconfirming evidence; he or she may sanction a destruction of supposed enemies [4]. Reasoning with them goes nowhere [8]. A belief that others intend harm contributes to aggressive behaviors. Some paranoiacs are belligerent and aggressive against delusional goals. Governments in democracy are more transparent; so it is less probable that power would be kept or influenced by a mentally abnormal individual.

Research findings have accumulated supporting the hypothesis that child abuse and/or neglect is associated with an increase in vulnerability to various psychiatric and medical conditions including depression, bipolar and post-traumatic disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, possibly also schizophrenia, as well as low self-esteem, deficient communicative skills, anxiety and anger [9-11]. In particular, the association between developmental trauma and paranoia is known [12-14]. Victims may describe themselves as bad and feel that punishments are deserved [15]. In the course of post-trauma processing, maladaptive cognitions centered on self-blame, shame or guilt may arise, sometimes intentionally reinforced by abusive surroundings. Shame appears when a person’s body is treated like an object, also when a child is small and powerless [16].

Both children and adults respond to distress depending on their personality type, existing disorders and genetic predisposition, if any. Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) react by being moody, naughty and restless [17]. The same is probably true for conduct disorder, which is often comorbid with ADHD [18]. Such children can be disciplined if firm and consistent [17]. Under the impact of punishments, their behavior would change but not necessarily become normal. Regular punishments would induce adaptive or maladaptive conduct aimed at avoidance of trauma and alleviation of shame associated with the beating.

It has been hypothesized that individuals with certain derangements or neuroses, paranoid, obsessive-compulsive and autism spectrum disorders in particular, were on average more often physically maltreated during their childhood than those with e.g. ADHD or histrionic personality disorder (HPD) [19]. Both latter conditions are usually not mentioned in the literature among consequences of physical abuse. It was suggested that HPD may reflect a history of child neglect and/or sexual abuse. According to a recent study, sexual abuse was the strongest predictor of HPD [20]. Children and adolescents regularly punished for hyperactivity, hysterical fits or other conduct, regarded by abusers to be annoying or inappropriate, might discontinue such behaviors but start adaptive or maladaptive conduct. Finally, some children with ADHD exposed to trauma develop borderline personality disorder [21]. Apparently, the latter development is more probable in disorganized conditions with haphazard traumas, “abuse in combination with the atmosphere of general chaos and neglect” [18], rather than under impact of regular and targeted physical punishments.

Detection of domestic violence often depends on information from the victim. Different methods are used by perpetrators to conceal the abuse: allegations of slander or fantasies in the victim, threats and intimidation, appeals to preserve honor of a family or ethnic community. A majority of studies on child maltreatment were performed in more developed countries [22]; while in less open societies the nuisance is persisting. Child abuse has been rarely discussed in Russia. There were several publications in the period 1990-2016 but today the topic is avoided; details and references are in [19]. Discussing physical abuse, the accent is often on visible injuries: bruises, burns and fractures. Of note, physical abuse can continue for years with cerebral concussions and other injuries. The signs of childhood head trauma are not always visible.

Political Implications

Politics as such is not the topic of this review. Ukraine voted for independence in the 1991 referendum. The borders were recognized by all nations, including Russia, which consented to guarantee the borders by virtue of the Tripartite Accords (with participation of the United States) of January 14, 1994, and the Budapest Declaration of December 5, 1994. On May 31, 1997, the Treaty on Cooperation and Partnership between Russia and Ukraine was signed, recognizing the state borders. The State Duma endorsed the Treaty in December 1998 and the Federation Council in February 1999 [23]. The Ukraine war, having undermined the principle of internationally agreed status quo, has triggered a series of conflicts in different parts of the world. Admittedly, a majority of residents in the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine are Russian-speaking. Recent referendums in occupied territories were met with skepticism because residents voted for the unification with Russia to avoid trouble as they did not believe that the situation will be reverted. The Soviet-trained collectivism has influenced referendums, elections and opinion polls. Some Russianspeaking provinces of Ukraine may become parts of the Federation if people really want it. The border should be agreed by negotiations. The main thing is to avoid a new East-West conflict. Consequences would be negative for both sides, like it was through the 20th century, while winners will be those who stay outside.

Vladimir Putin put forward objectives for his military operation: denazification of Ukraine and protection of Russian-speakers from “genocide”. It is known that ethnic Russians have not been victims of genocide [24-26]. This idea can be seen as delusional. By the way, the last genocide of ethnic Russians since the Stalin’s time has been the Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign and its aftermath with deterioration of the healthcare, mass consumption of technical ethanol and other surrogates, when the average life expectancy in males decreased to 58-59 years; more details and references are in [6,27].

The exaggerated care of war veterans is showcased today. They enjoy advantages in the healthcare and everyday life; there are, however, misgivings that the veteran status and decorations have been awarded gratuitously to some individuals from the privileged milieu. Some real or fictive participants of the Ukraine war will occupy leading positions without sufficient professional qualities. In fact, many real veterans had been helped to the grave in the period 1985-2005. It is known that percentage of alcohol-dependent people is relatively high among war veterans. During the anti-alcohol campaign (1985-1989), they were forced to stand hours-long queues at retail outlets and/or to drink surrogates. After the failure of the campaign, the country was flooded by poor-quality beverages and surrogates sold in vodka bottles through legally operating shops and kiosks. There were mass poisonings with high lethality [27,28]. Some legally sold beverages are poor quality now as before.

According to an estimate, the prevalence of family violence in Russia during last decades has been 45-70 times higher than e.g. in England and France [29]. There is neither uniformly agreed attitude nor consequent policy. In 2017 Vladimir Putin has signed into law an amendment decriminalizing some forms of domestic violence [30,31]. The physical abuse was described in Putin’s biographies [32-35]. His father is said to have beaten the boy [33,34]. Child abuse is common in the histories of paranoid patients [8]. Reportedly, the worse a child is treated, especially by his father, the more frequent are paranoid ideations in his or her adult life [36].

It was hypothesized that Putin is re-enacting his traumas in conditions of an intergenerational traumatic chain [33,37]. As mentioned above, there is association between paranoia and child abuse [12-14]. Construction of alternate reality serves as a solace for the wounded Ego [4]. Apparently, it was not so much the population who perceived external threats, as it did their leader, re-enacting his puerile fears. There is a “danger of blundering into a nuclear war” [37] thanks to that case of child maltreatment. Paranoid individuals tend to be aggressive. A paranoid call may sanction destruction of supposed enemies [4]. Putin’s saying “If a fight is [apprehended as] inevitable, you must strike first” could have originated from experiences of bullying [33]. “Get them before they get me” is a line of thought often observed in paranoia [8].

Individuals abused during their childhood often become paranoid as they expect the same abusive, humiliating treatment later in life. Paranoids are often belligerent but some of them display fight or flight responses [4,8]. The latter seems to be reflected by Putin’s relationships with Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechen Republic, who appears as a dominant personality. There has been a stereotype of “chechenophobia” in Russia [38]. Certain non-European subjects within and outside the Federation may be interested in a continuation of the Ukraine war, and there are concerns that Putin has come under their influence.

Aleksandr Dugin and obsessive Eurasianism

People who are paranoid in some respects may be well-functioning in others. Not everything that they say or do comes from delusion [8]. Grave consequences can occur when paranoid and delusional ideas coexist in a politician who otherwise is rational, but may be assisted or influenced by mentally disordered individuals. Paranoid rulers tend to promote mentally abnormal persons and rely on their opinions [39]. An example is the Eurasianist ideologist Aleksandr Dugin, called the “Putin’s brain” [40], who preaches Russia’s westward expansion often resorting to religious and mystic vocabulary. Here follow several citations from his works (verbatim translations): “To close down America is our sacred duty” [41]; “Anti-Americanism is a Creed. The prohibition of war propaganda is pharisaic. You can’t get away from the war and you shouldn’t try [42]”; “Only a traitor would wish peace today” [43]; “We must forget about the nightmare that is called political correctness, liberalism and human rights. We must forget this terrible nonsense” [44]. His writings are indicative of grandiose and persecutory delusions, for example: “If we lose, we will blow up the whole world” and “Americans cause rejection, repulsion, a desire to hide from their influence” [45]. Dugin’s delusion-like or overvalued ideas include the “Western plot to undermine Russia” and “Eternal struggle between Land and Sea” [46], the latter probably being a reminiscence of the novel “1984” by George Orwell. Some more citations: “The will of any people is sacred. But the will of Russian people is hundred times more sacred” [47], “For peace to be without war, the war is first necessary. We make the war. It originates in our heart. We give birth to the war. Through the war we create the world, our Russkiy Mir” [45]. Considering the above and other Dugin’s discourses, some analysts considered him to be a mental patient, albeit a widely read and influential one [48]. Of note, Alexandr Dugin was born into a family of a Soviet colonel-general [49]. The former party and military functionaries (so-called Numenklatura) have promoted their children sometimes irrespective of the latter’s abilities and health conditions [50].

Governments in democracy are more transparent; it is less likely that power falls into the hands of mentally abnormal persons. Paranoid leaders can remain in positions of power in the nations that lack appropriate checks and balances [2]. This is especially likely in oneparty states where mass intimidation and imposed homogeneity of thinking prevail. Paranoid individuals are often self-centered, arrogant and vulnerable at the same time. In a sense, paranoid grandiosity is a shield for a fragile ego. A belief that others intend harm leads to aggression. Paranoia is generally characterized by a hostile disposition and aggressive behavior against perceived enemies. In the former Soviet Union, paranoia was recognizable both in authorities and in the whole society [51]. Paranoid politicians search new enemies and reanimate old hatreds [24]; this is what we are observing today. Vladimir Putin pursues delusional goals like denazification of Ukraine and salvation of ethnic Russians from “genocide”, presenting himself as a great, state-building hero [52]. Of note, such ideas are virulent. Mentally healthy people can be susceptible to psychotic appeals, a predisposing condition being fear of strangers and projection of hatred upon them. The supposed attempt by the West to undermine the progress to the glorious future is a typically Soviet narrative [46]. A lack of knowledge about other countries, suppressed shame and envy contribute to hostility.

Some functionaries are descendants of the rural proletariat who burnt mansions in 1917 and committed all sorts of violent crimes, envy being one of the motives. Envious people blame those who make them feel ashamed by comparison. The psychological projection in paranoids is regarded to be an aberration of shame. Being unable to tolerate shame, they project it onto others and thus disown. In its turn, intense shame confers vulnerability for paranoia [24,53]. Repressed shame may cause aggression [54]. Shame was described as the affective core of paranoia [55]. Shame confers vulnerability for paranoia and amplifies the latter’s association with stress [53]. There are reasons to be ashamed in today’s Russia, as reflected e.g. by a comparatively low life expectancy mainly due to the suboptimal healthcare [6].

Conclusion

The hypothesis is further developed here that individuals with certain disorders or neuroses such as paranoid, obsessive-compulsive and autism spectrum disorders, were on average more often physically maltreated during their childhood than those with e.g. ADHD or HPD [56]. Physical maltreatment during childhood is associated with paranoid ideation and persecutory delusions also in initially healthy individuals. Mental derangements in politicians are dangerous and must be diagnosed by psychiatrists on the basis of speech, writings, and behavior. Reasoning and negotiations with paranoiacs are unpromising. An attempt to analyze drawings by Putin’s own hand has been made [57]. More expert opinion is needed. The likelihood that all nations would agree to effective international control remains small. It has been suggested “to stop worrying and love the bomb” [58]. Apparently, not much else remains to be done in view of the leadership we have.

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Citation: Jargin S (2025) Political Aspects of Physical Abuse in Childhood and Adolescence. J Clin Case Stu 10(2): dx.doi.org/10.16966/2471- 4925.281

Copyright: © 2025 Jargin S. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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