Personality Analysis of Political Leaders and Its Impact on Geopolitics and National Politics: A Case Study of Imam Khomeini and Hitler – A Psychological and Political Analysis

Abstract

The psychology of political leaders, understanding their personality traits, and the formation of their perceptions and interpretations of politics are central topics in the field of political psychology. How individuals, influenced by their temperamental and psychological backgrounds at the individual level, as well as situational and structural factors, engage in specific actions and make decisions plays a fundamental role in understanding the politics of nations. The theoretical framework utilized in this article is the theory of political personality, specifically the typology of elites, developed by Harold Lasswell, an American psychologist and sociologist. This study analyzes the influential events in the lives of Imam Khomeini and Hitler and their interpretations of these events to examine their personalities. The research hypothesis posits that, according to this theory, specific personality traits influence the behavior and character of both political leaders under study. This article employs content analysis and library research methods, and the findings indicate that Imam Khomeini, as a political leader of Iran, possesses a "managerial type" personality, exerting geopolitical influence on various parts of the world. In contrast, Hitler exhibits a combination of the "agitator type" and the "reformer type" personalities. Consequently, Hitler subscribed to Friedrich Ratzel’s concept of Lebensraum (living space) and, in pursuit of this idea, instigated geopolitical transformations such as World War II, the Holocaust, and the Anti-Comintern Pact.