When is a narcissist satisfied? That question is buzzing through my head now that Putin has turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing and, like a cornered cat, is capable of making dramatic leaps. I’m not the first to point to Vladimir’s personality as the cause of the war. We can still only speculate about the scope of his goal, and we may still have doubts about his strategy and capabilities, but his motive is very clear: revenge!

The global consensus on sanctions—from countries, companies, premium brands, banks, and organizations in the fields of sports, art, and culture—along with the internal uprising in Moscow, is cornering him more than he could have imagined. Censorship, propaganda, threats of nuclear weapons or cutting off gas supplies, …—it won’t stop there. He is, completely mesmerized by his own narrative, blind to any form of (self-)reflection or dissent. There’s only one way to stop him. It’ll be a while before we’re ready, so the arms race will be intense.

Narcissism causes more damage than you’d like

We know of more men like Putin; unfortunately, narcissism, a fixation on power, and psychopathy are not uncommon among some leaders. What drives them is usually not that hard to describe, but what stops them is. The drama began decades ago. Just as every person experiences traumatic events, Putin, too, has been wounded. I don’t mean by ordinary setbacks, but by real, experienced danger in the areas of safety, love, and the right to exist. Defense mechanisms—in his case, an emotionless “Kürper”—do everything they can to prevent a recurrence of those original pains. Power then becomes the best defense, and narcissism is born.

Once in power, the revenge can begin. This often takes the form of a series of events unfolding in a self-fulfilling storyline. Opposition from those around them is powerless; the enemy is eliminated. If you’re not for me, you’re against me. It’s not uncommon for the narcissist to overestimate their own strength, but they manage to win the game of “Risk” using increasingly vicious tactics. The will to win justifies the means.

Also nearby

The “beauty” of narcissists like Putin is that we can see their behavioral patterns so clearly. But even closer to home, narcissism is to blame for situations that have gotten out of hand. Think of #MeToo-type situations in which power dynamics have been abused. It’s also more common in our workplaces than we’d like. We see quite a few intelligent leaders who leave a trail of destruction in their wake. For example, I saw a supervisor who wanted to prove himself right at the organization’s expense. What trauma lies at the root of that?

Let’s be honest—maybe there’s a sense of feeling undervalued lurking within all of us. Trauma is something we’re all familiar with. I, too, know how difficult it is to live with it or come to terms with it. Pains from the past that are no longer an issue but still pull the strings in our subconscious. Hurt and shame.

Back to my opening question. Narcissist Putin is never satisfied with anything. The drama he creates out of his trauma is on a global scale, resulting in trauma for countless people and children. Back to ourselves—I’m not going to play psychologist here, but what everyone should ask themselves is which of your behaviors, as a leader, father, mother, manager, etc., are based on old wounds. Better to stop halfway.

Putin has ignored that fundamental question. My prediction is that, at the expense of many—in his eyes—opponents, he will ultimately meet his end himself. Sooner rather than later. Then he’ll get his way, at least to some extent. Peace will be enforced by massive resistance both at home and from the rest of the world—not in Ukraine, but in Russia itself.