The Second World War is one of the greatest war conflicts in history with reliable records, one of the most documented and one of the most recent and well-known by the population of a large part of the world. Hitler’s rise to power, the expansion of fascism, the progression and escalation of the conflict to global levels and the Holocaust are aspects that most of us know about.

But beyond Hitler himself, the important role that the various Nazi commanders played in the conflict and the events that occurred during the war may not be as well known. One of them, Joseph Goebbels, is considered one of the greatest manipulators in history as he was charged with expanding, inflaming and managing Nazi ideology and information regarding the conflict as the regime’s minister of propaganda.

In this article we present a brief psychological profile of Joseph Goebbels , this high ranking Nazi.

Joseph Goebbels: who was it?

Joseph Goebbels is a figure of great importance within Nazism, considered one of the greatest manipulators in history due to the important role he played as “Minister of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda” by using the media to provide biased information to the media that facilitated the regime’s control and domination over the population in the different areas where it was established, in addition to fomenting fear and encouraging the population against specific groups. It was characterized by the use of various media, such as radio, newspapers or movies .

Goebbels used various methods to manipulate the information he provided to citizens under the Nazi regime, creating different maxims or principles for this. Among them , the individualization and grouping of adversaries under the idea that it is a single enemy, the generation of invented but plausible elements to confuse and focus attention on aspects alien to the real news (such as when a battle was lost), stand out, the exaggeration of situations to transform them into threats and the silencing of those news items that favour opinions contrary to the stipulated, the pretension of communicating the majority opinion to favour the attachment to the information transmitted or the adaptation of the information to the popular level.

It also used the repetition of the same story from different points of view to transform it and the continuous generation of news to generate a flow outside of which it was difficult to organize a check of each one of them. Frequently, one attributed one’s mistakes to one’s enemies and tried to generate powerful emotions such as hatred towards sectors of the population (especially Jews) in order to promote support and maintenance of the regime’s power.

Goebbels’ role in the Nazi command was very important, although some authors consider that his position has been overestimated and that he was not taken into account when making decisions. It is also discussed whether his link with Hitler , whom he revered, was as close as he seemed to believe. In any case, his role and actions led to and encouraged the maintenance of the power of Nazism, the spread of anti-Semitism and the persecution of this group.

Psychological profile of Goebbels: difficulties in establishing a profile

Although Goebbels held an important position and many aspects of his life are known, it is not easy to make a completely valid or reliable psychological profile. Since no psychological evaluation of the subject is known to have been carried out and there is no possibility of doing so after the subject’s death, an exact or adequate psychological profile is not possible.

In this way, it is only from the existing data on their actions, the records of their activity and the declarations of relatives that it is possible to extract the presence of possible personality factors .

Aspects inferred from their role, performance and statements

While it is not possible to establish a fully valid profile of Joseph Goebbels, the following highlights some of the most notable personality traits that reflect his actions and attitudes throughout his life.

Feelings of inferiority and self-loathing

Goebbels was a man who, from childhood, was notable for the existence of a malformation in his right foot caused by osteomyelitis that would make him lame throughout his life. He was also short in stature and weak in complexion.

Likewise, throughout his education, the family’s economic capacity was precarious, so he had to depend on the charity of acquaintances and relatives. All this contributed to Goebbels interiorising a bad image of himself , calling himself on more than one occasion a repugnant or poor devil.

Resentment

The above-mentioned feelings of inferiority made him a resentful man, because he was often humiliated in childhood and already in adulthood he accumulated various failures such as not being accepted in the army because of his disability, love failures and failures in his aspirations as a writer.

This resentment would be exacerbated by the defeat and conditions of post-World War I Germany, and would lead to its attachment to the Nazi regime and the subsequent spread of hatred for Jews and the expansion of the ideology of Hitler and his party.

Cunning and intelligence

Even as a child Goebbels stood out for his high intelligence , and in adulthood he designed and applied a great number of propagandistic mechanisms taking into account the different means at his disposal (using all the media and arts to do so).

High handling capacity

Goebbels did not reach the post of propaganda minister by chance: he was characterized by his ability to channel and transform the emotions, attitudes and beliefs of the German population of the time and to lead it. He was also well versed in human communication and its effects, as well as in persuasion. It was common for him to distort the facts in order to make different catastrophes and massacres understood by society as something necessary and positive , to relate to the enemy and to hide different facts and information from the community.

Need for recognition and dependence

One of Goebbels’ most notorious characteristics was his need to be recognized, derived from his feeling of inferiority and his narcissism. This need for recognition is often seen in his abnegation and treatment of his leader, whom he would come to treat as if he were a messiah.

Meticulousness

Another feature that seems to stand out from the Nazi propaganda minister is the existence of a high degree of meticulousness. This can be seen in the fact that he took into account not only the most common media such as the radio and the press, but also the arts as a whole when preparing his propaganda, as well as in the elaboration of a system that allowed to keep the population controlled and directed towards the ideals and ideologies of Nazism.

Desire for power

Another aspect that can be extrapolated from Goebbels’ behaviour is the presence of a strong desire for power, linked to the need for recognition. This would lead him to rub shoulders with members of German high society and his great involvement in the formation of an intricate propaganda apparatus that would elevate Hitler and Nazism .

Fanaticism

Goebbels manifested, both publicly and in his newspapers, an exacerbated level of fanaticism towards Hitler and Nazism. Although he once disagreed with his decisions, he considered him a messiah and little less than a demigod, according to his diary. This fanaticism can be seen in his speeches , especially those made during the last days of the war in which he asked for either victory or the sacrifice of his people.

Drama

As with other Nazi leaders such as Hitler himself, Goebbels had a facility for drama, both in his oratory and in his personal life. It can also be seen in the way he ended his life, killing himself and his wife after killing their children the day after their leader did the same (which in turn reflects his fanaticism towards his leader and the ideals of Nazism).

Lack of empathy and cruelty

The messages conveyed and the manipulation of the image of individuals and groups such as the Jews or the Soviets suggest a lack of empathy, throwing the population into hatred of part of the citizenry, justifying murders and massacres, organizing riots or even stipulating during his time as Berlin’s district chief the deportation of all the Jews in his district to Auswitch and other concentration camps.

Narcissism

According to Longerich, author of one of the last biographies of Goebbels and based largely on the latter’s diaries, Goebbels possessed narcissistic features . He tended to exaggerate his achievements, to consider himself an intellectual and to deform reality to conform to his ideal. He also had a high need for recognition and often sought contact with the social elite. Also characteristic was his lack of empathy towards the Jewish people or the arrogance with which he referred to his enemies.

Bibliographic references:

  • Doob, L.W. (1985). Goebbels and his propagandistic principles. In De Moragas, M. (ed.): Sociology of mass communication. Barcelona; Gustavo Gili
  • Longerich, P. (2012). Goebbels. A biography. RBA Books.
  • Thacker, T. (2010). Joseph Goebbels. Life and Death. Navarra, Spain: Planeta.