Submission declined on 15 May 2026 by Josedimaria (talk). This draft appears to contain text generated by a large language model (such as ChatGPT). You cannot use LLMs to generate article content. LLM-generated pages with certain obvious signs of being machine generated may be deleted without notice. These tools are prone to specific issues that violate our policies: hallucinations: they often invent false information and cite non-existent references. unencyclopedic tone: they tend to be vague, promotional, or essay-like, rather than neutral and factual. copyright issues: they may closely paraphrase existing text, leading to copyright violations. Instead, only summarize in your own words a range of independent, reliable, published sources that discuss the subject. See the advice page on large language models for more information. If you would like to continue working on the submission, click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window. If you have not resolved the issues listed above, your draft will be declined again and potentially deleted. If you need extra help, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. Please do not remove reviewer comments or this notice until the submission is accepted. Where to get help If you need help editing or submitting your draft, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. These venues are only for help with editing and the submission process, not to get reviews. If you need feedback on your draft, or if the review is taking a lot of time, you can try asking for help on the talk page of a relevant WikiProject. Some WikiProjects are more active than others so a speedy reply is not guaranteed. How to improve a draft Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia – a basic overview on how to edit Wikipedia. Help:Wikitext – how to use the markup Help:Referencing for beginners – how to include references Wikipedia:Article development – how to develop your article Wikipedia:Writing better articles – how to improve your article Wikipedia:Verifiability – make sure your article includes reliable third-party sources You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Add tags to your draft Editor resources Easy tools: Citation bot (help) | Advanced: Fix bare URLs Declined by Josedimaria 22 days ago. Last edited by Josedimaria 22 days ago. Reviewer: Inform author. Resubmit Please note that if the issues are not fixed, the draft will be declined again.

Submission declined on 17 October 2025 by Pythoncoder (talk). This draft appears to contain text generated by a large language model (such as ChatGPT). You cannot use LLMs to generate article content. LLM-generated pages with certain obvious signs of being machine generated may be deleted without notice. These tools are prone to specific issues that violate our policies: hallucinations: they often invent false information and cite non-existent references. unencyclopedic tone: they tend to be vague, promotional, or essay-like, rather than neutral and factual. copyright issues: they may closely paraphrase existing text, leading to copyright violations. Instead, only summarize in your own words a range of independent, reliable, published sources that discuss the subject. See the advice page on large language models for more information. Declined by Pythoncoder 7 months ago.

Hubris syndrome (also hybris syndrome) is a proposed construct describing an acquired change in personality associated with the prolonged exercise of power. Suggested features include grandiosity, contempt for others, impaired judgment, impulsivity, and risk‑taking. The concept is not recognized as a diagnosis in the DSM‑5‑TR or the ICD‑11.^[1]

The term was introduced by British physician and politician David Owen in the context of examining the health and behavior of political leaders. Owen and psychiatrist Jonathan Davidson later analyzed biographical material on United States presidents and United Kingdom prime ministers from the previous century, proposing that the syndrome emerges after attaining executive power and may diminish once power is relinquished.^[2]

Historical background

In ancient Greek literature, hybris referred to acts of excess or arrogance that violated social or divine limits. The term appears in tragedies by authors such as Aeschylus ^[3] and Sophocles^[4], as well as in Aristotle's writings.^[5] In modern discussions, the historical concept has been referenced to contextualize the contemporary use of the term “hubris,” although this connection is descriptive rather than clinical.

Owen and Davidson outlined fourteen suggested manifestations, including five considered central. Reported features include preoccupation with public image, use of messianic rhetoric, identification of the self with the nation or organization, excessive confidence in personal judgment, disregard for expert advice, progressive loss of contact with reality, impulsivity, and reckless decision‑making.^[6]

The proposed construct overlaps with traits described in personality disorder frameworks in the DSM‑5‑TR and ICD‑11, particularly within the domains of antagonism and disinhibition. Proponents highlight two distinguishing elements: onset following the acquisition of substantial power and state‑dependence, with symptoms reportedly decreasing after loss of power.^[7]

Research on the topic includes historical and biographical analyses, as well as studies examining linguistic indicators in leaders’ speech, such as the use of first‑person plural pronouns or self‑aggrandizing language.[8] Empirical evidence remains limited and is largely based on publicly available observational data.^[8]

Hubris syndrome is not included in major diagnostic classification systems. A review published in Psychological Medicine assessed its potential diagnostic validity and suggested considering it as a non‑organic personality change associated with the exercise of power. ^[7]

Critiques of the concept include concerns about pathologizing leadership behavior, overlap with existing diagnostic categories, lack of validated criteria, and methodological challenges in establishing a causal relationship between power and personality change.^[9]