The Hubris–Nemesis Complex: When Power Becomes Pathology

The dark force of the hubris-nemesis complex (H-N), has been at-work since the Peloponnesian Wars in 431 BC. 

With its origins in Greek mythology, this mental condition fuses the personality trait of hubris, having excessive pride and God-like arrogance to nemesis, having vengeance with a recklessness toward adversaries.

Despite the presence of this condition over the millennia, it wasn’t identified as a condition impacting behaviors until the 1980s.

To understand the origin of the H-N complex, it’s useful to look at the contributions of Carl G Jung, the 20th century psychiatrist, who introduced the concept of psychological complexes into the vernacular.

Defined, a complex is a cluster of unconscious emotions influencing behavior, according to Jung. There is a Superiority complex, an Inferiority complex, a God complex, a Martyr complex, an Oedipus complex, and an Electra complex, to name a few.

Jung said a person can have a complex, but the reality is the complex has the person. Since a complex is largely suppressed, it sneaks in and takes over the good senses of the individual, or as global theorists claim, a nation.

David Ronfeldt, a social science researcher, who first tagged the condition with a name, wrote a report for the global think tank the Rand Corp in 1993. He entitled it, "Beware of the Hubris-Nemesis Complex. His research revealed that Hitler, Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein, Slobodan Milosevic, Manuel Noriega and Ariel Sharon, were motivated toward bad actions due to this condition.

Ronfeldt noted US figures too behaved under the guise of the H-N complex, such as Louis Farrakhan, Huey Long, Joseph McCarthy, Malcoln X, Ralph Nader and Ross Perot. Labeling some of these figures as having this dark force seems plausible, others not so much.

Leaders possessed with the H-N complex require absolute loyalty to their causes, and claim that power is needed to overcome past injustices and threats.

Ronfeldt says, “hubris and nemesis feed each other, such that the stronger one is, the stronger the other becomes.”

His research is dated, and obviously doesn’t mention the current tyrants of this dark force.  

Dennis Tourish of the University of Sussex in Britain studies hubris, the foundation piece of the H-N complex. In most instances, nemesis needs hubris, but hubris can exist without nemesis. Tourish draws attention to this feature as it relates mostly to business. 

Consistent within unbridled hubris, Tourish says, are the following characteristics: a pathological persistence, recklessness, a break with reality, ignoring constructive criticism and abuse of targets. 

This persistence becomes pathological because this person, or these people double down in pursuit of their goal beyond good reason, and they become reckless

In the case of the global picture, recklessness can take the shape of bombing, randomly, without regard to the long term effect of the action. As often, recklessness occurs in the workplace and in interpersonal relationships, Tourish notes.

Once the possessor crosses over this threshold of recklessness, a break with reality occurs. This takes the believer into the world of delusions that their actions are sensical. All constructive criticism is ignored, and abuse, verbal or otherwise, becomes their modus operandi in dealing with their naysayers.  

One sees the language of unconstrained hubris in unfounded use of the words like racism, antisemitism. When hubris is fused with its evil cousin, the sanctimonious seek to destroy others, through covert or violent means.

The H-N complex reared its head in the travesty of Gaza, Orly Noy writes in the magazine about middle east issues, 972+ in June of 2025.

Israel has been the long-time overseer of Gaza, that 25 miles long and 7 miles-wide piece of earth. “Israel’s greatest threat in keeping its existence there is its own hubris,” Noy says. 

An Iranian by birth, Noy lived most of her life in Israel. “The public in Israel has long believed it can co-exist in a region of the world while harboring deep contempt for its neighbor,” she believes.

Israel has maintained for 80 years total victory has been just around the corner. Noy claims a common cry has been, “Just defeat the Palestinians, eliminate Hamas, crush Lebanon, destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities-and paradise will be ours.”

After the attack by Hammas into Israel in October of 2023 where 1200 Israelis were killed, Israel retaliated. For every dead Israeli, the harangue was, “fifty persons in Gaza will die.” 

Despite the October 2025 tenuous peace deal, between Israel and Hammas, the military might of Israel and the mindset of the hubris-nemesis complex allows it to pursue this belief that the region they live in is destined to be theirs, a one-state entity. 

Jeffery Sachs, Jewish, and an economist, commented about the new peace deal in October 2025, saying, It’s just more than likely that Netanayu is done with killing. If you take the promise that 50 persons in Gaza will die for every Israeli, the some 67,000 deaths there since 2023 more than calculate out to their promise. 

While the hubris-nemesis complex is not included in the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders, there has been talk of adding it to this voluminous book in its next addition.

Political leaders have long hoodwinked their peoples with their aberrant thinking and their personality disorders. 

It is hard work to nip-out these bad actors. But it is the calling of the Wise to do so. The trick will be in the how-to.