Historical Figures: Napoleon Bonaparte and Julius Caesar

Napoleon Bonaparte

"From the sublime to the ridiculous is but one step."

One of the historical figures that most clearly embodies the Social 2 character is Napoleon Bonaparte.

The young Napoleon was born in Corsica, just a few days after his people were defeated by the French. As a child, he hated France, and although later in life he would deeply love it, perhaps as a form of reparation for the humiliation of the Corsicans, he eventually conquered France and became its emperor.

Napoleon's family belonged to the Corsican aristocracy, although they were not wealthy. His father was a lawyer and initially fought against France. However, once they were defeated, his father quickly adapted to French customs. Napoleon would never forgive his father for this betrayal; he rarely spoke of him and believed his father enjoyed worldly pleasures too much. This quickly invalidated him as a father figure.

His father died when Napoleon was still a teenager, and at that moment, Napoleon crystallized his identification with the paternal figure, prematurely taking on the role of paterfamilias, seeing himself as the savior of the family group.

His mother, Leticia, was a very peculiar woman, and Napoleon adored her above anyone else. She was tough, cold, ambitious, and austere. She educated him, and although they lacked for nothing, she taught him the value of deprivation and effort. Throughout his life,

she remained a severe mother, always demanding more, and he never heard any recognition from her. This is precisely the pattern of the Social 2's relationship with their mother: to be the recipient of high expectations, yet nothing is ever enough, so approval or recognition is not received, and if it comes, it is never sufficient.

When her son was crowned, she did not attend due to the rivalry she had with Josephine Beauharnais, despite Napoleon trying to calm her when he married Josephine: "Calm down, mother. She doesn’t take anything from you. The day you die, there will only be inferiors for me." This shows a Social 2 who prematurely replaces the father and receives an ambivalent message from his mother: "You are wonderful, but it's not enough," along with emotional deprivation from her side.

Due to the impoverishment of the island, Napoleon's ambitious parents moved with all their children to France in search of new opportunities. Between the ages of nine and fourteen, Napoleon lived in a boarding school, never visiting home even once, supported by a scholarship his father had arranged. He felt lonely and humiliated, barely spoke French, full of resentment toward France, and was too proud to associate with the French students, who were aristocratic children. Dark, reserved, and unpopular, he stoically endured the mockery of others, indicating how he would take revenge on the French. However, as a social E3, he wouldn't hold onto these convictions for long.

At the age of fifteen, he entered military academy and began to develop a deep disdain for the luxuries and privileges of the French nobility. A professor described him as solitary, brooding, selfish, proud, ambitious, and someone who would go far in life. Naturally curious, he was interested in history, laws, and some sciences. Philosophers like Rousseau profoundly impressed him. Knowledge was crucial for the Social 2, and intellectual exercise was one of his favorite pastimes.

He knew he was destined for greatness, though he didn't yet know how he would achieve it. Melancholic and with a great sense of loneliness and not belonging, he had suicidal thoughts that would appear during moments of crisis throughout his life. The Revolution was what freed Napoleon. He was fascinated by the idea of the end of privileges and hierarchies. He was a man of his time, an idealist who, like any Social 2, engaged in the transformative processes (cultural, educational, political, or social) of his era, and he was also a passionate defender of freedom.

After leaving the army, at twenty-three, he returned to Corsica and entered the island’s politics. He wanted to learn from Pasquale Paoli, the governor and hero of Napoleon when he was a child. However, he was disappointed because Paoli did not trust him, labeling him as ambitious, inexperienced, and egocentric. By this time, Napoleon was more aligned with France than Corsica and joined the party opposed to Paoli. Eventually, Paoli condemned the Bonaparte family to death for treason, forcing them to flee.

Napoleon returned to France, humiliated and disappointed, but now more cautious, astute, and above all, wanting to be French. At twenty-four, he sought refuge in France with his now-widowed mother and his siblings. Although it is difficult for a Social 2 to recognize authority, there is a hidden longing to find one in which they can trust and surrender, seeking protection, guidance, and shelter as they would have wished in childhood.

In France, the kings had already been executed by the guillotine, Robespierre was in charge, and these were the most terrible years of the Revolution. Soon, due to the incompetence around him, Napoleon made a name for himself as a strategist. In a few months, his audacity, sacrifice, and energy caught the attention of the commanders, and he began to gain recognition. He wrote a political treatise supporting Robespierre's radical ideas, as although Robespierre was too violent for his taste, France was in chaos, and this disturbed Napoleon, who needed order around him. Like any Social 2, he knew how to surround himself with influential people.

In 1795, France had a constitutional government and had forgotten the recent horrors. Luxuries returned, and everyone wanted to enjoy peace. At that time, Napoleon had very few resources, and his appearance betrayed him. He was at a dead end and began to manifest suicidal thoughts again.

But toward the end of that year, he had a stroke of luck. Part of the population was preparing a revolt to restore the monarchy. Coincidentally, there was no general in Paris who could contain them, and Napoleon, considered a tenacious man with passionate convictions, seemed to be the best alternative. Napoleon's response was brutal, and he used all the weapons at his disposal to achieve his goal. As a result, the attempt ended in a massacre of hundreds of people. This made him famous in Paris, and he was promoted to general.

When a Social 2 has a goal, and especially when they seek direct recognition, they become the coldest, most manipulative, and strategic.

Napoleon was an expert at seeing and seizing opportunities as they arose, and war made this easy. In this sense, Napoleon transformed into the providential man, the savior of France, to the point where he identified with the nation. This emphasizes an essential aspect of this character: pseudogenerosity. That is, the enormous sacrifices demanded of the French people were not requested to satisfy the ego of the one who would hold the power, but because "France demands it," fulfilling the need to embark on idealistic missions that supposedly went beyond personal benefit.

On the Patriarchal Ego: Napoleon Bonaparte's Contribution to the World's Troubles

Napoleon’s contribution to the world’s troubles can be summarized as a process of pseudofreedom. Napoleon practices an inauthentic rebellion, allowing him to be complicit with hierarchical power while feeling innocent. Complicit because all revolutionary instances are concentrated around his figure, and as a result, his ego hides a vertical leadership under the emotional appearance of a horizontal management style. Innocent, because the subversion of the son with respect to paternal power allows him to feel exonerated from the responsibility of the same power. The Father shows the way, assumes the responsibility, and faces it without fear of not being loved. A son who wishes to become a Father, without an authentic process of transformation, is, in the end, too weak to accept not being loved.

With a new bearing, he meets and falls in love with Josephine, a widow and mother of two children who, burdened by debt, tries to survive in Paris. She is described as languid, charming, and graceful, said to be a good lover. She is a woman of her time who gains Napoleon’s trust. But something else stirs his interest in her: She is influential and well-known in Parisian circles, so Napoleon believes she can be of great help to him. She teaches him everything she knows about love, leaving the inexperienced Napoleon fascinated.

Josephine doesn’t truly love him, but she needs protection, so she agrees to marry him. For Napoleon, she will be an important source of support, even when they are separated due to military campaigns.

As he anticipated, marrying Josephine helps him rise. Paul Barras, the most influential man in the Republic at the time and Josephine's former lover, helps Napoleon secure the position of supreme commander of the French army in Italy. He had never commanded an army, and no one expected much from him... until they met him. One general said, upon seeing him: "I don’t know why, but this little bastard scares me." The army was malnourished, only surviving on plunder. Napoleon roused them to pursue glory and riches with him, captivating them with his fervor. He was said to be a magnificent actor, capable of smiling or inspiring fear or fury, which is an excellent portrait of the Social 2.

Naturally, fervent loyalties have often been formed in the context of war and power, but rarely in history has there been such intense emotional involvement with an individual who didn’t possess an organized coercive apparatus, as the great totalitarian systems of the 20th century would later have. Therefore, it could be argued that the greatest contribution of Napoleon’s epic to the world’s troubles is a manipulative dimension of power based on pseudorelational aspects such as seduction, flattery, promises for the future, or his tone of familiarity with anyone, regardless of their status or condition.

His first campaign was against the Piedmontese, with a much smaller army. He didn’t know much about war, but he knew what he wanted to do: win. Thanks to his strategic ability,

innovation, and great recklessness, he won several battles within a few weeks and defeated the Piedmontese Army. An enemy general said about him: "They sent us a madman who attacked us from all sides; it’s an intolerable way to wage war."

His army was paid for the first time in many years, and he directly expressed his gratitude to the soldiers. The Social 2 is always where needed and goes alongside their men in battle, exposing themselves just as they do. He soon earned their trust and respect thanks to his presence, ability to motivate them, and his audacity; they felt he was one of them. This is a common way for a Social 2 to create horizontal relationships with their subordinates. They present themselves as equals to make others feel like equals, and this is one of the most significant challenges for people with this character, as they rarely maintain this attitude over time, especially when the tyrant within them awakens, easily appearing during moments of stress.

Another of his neurotic characteristics is the way he uses information. He is a marketing professional, knowing that it is not enough to win battles; one must control what will be said about them and what will remain in history. Napoleon was a born propagandist. The owner of several newspapers, he wrote history his way. One day, Josephine commented on how well the newspapers spoke of him. "Of course," he replied, "After closing thirty..." Napoleon even closed all newspapers that didn’t support him. He liked freedom, but not when others used it, especially without his consent or if it was against him.

The next campaign was against the Austrians. Napoleon didn’t follow the known rules of war up until then. Probably not because he was a great military strategist, but because of a mix of recklessness, passion, stubbornness, and that energy that a Social 2 can mobilize when they want something. He constantly surprised the enemy because he didn’t follow any specific tactics, but he also needed the blind trust of his men to defeat the Austrians.

His leadership ability became evident at the Battle of Marengo, fighting for a bridge, when he asked his soldiers for a proof of faith in him. The paradox, as Lefebvre illustrates, is that the beginning of his dizzying rise to glory, conquest, and dominance occurred due to an extremely fortunate coincidence. The shift toward absolute power was confirmed thanks to this victory, which allowed him to change a fortune that seemed final and transform a defeat into victory. For other characters, the risks he took would have prompted a more cautious and prudent behavior, but the formidable process of self-idealization in the Social 2 is capable of transforming mistakes into successful plans, random events into personal merits, and risks taken into the confirmation of exceptional qualities.

From that moment, Napoleon "felt" neurotically, as a sort of false instinct, that everything was possible for him and that no obstacle could limit his energies, which he believed were infinite. He convinced himself of his good fortune and that he was destined for great things.

As he said to a friend: "You still haven’t seen anything. In this era, no one has the slightest idea of what greatness is. It is my duty to show them the example."

Charismatic Power: A Question of Transformation or Domination?

Is charismatic power the result of an inner transformation process, the development of one's potential? Or is it, instead, a capacity to influence in order to dominate? The obsessive tendency for success in the Social 2 can manifest with the formula: "It is never enough," in line with the message he received from his mother: "It’s never enough, nor are you enough." Each goal achieved becomes nothing more than the fragile confirmation of being grand, victorious, indispensable. But the emptiness is insatiable and demands a high quota of successes, conquests, and astonishing achievements. This becomes an arrogant, hyper-demanding, and ruthless dynamic that can never be calmed unless it is confronted.

From this perspective, Napoleon’s lack of sense of limits is perfectly understandable. According to the strategic analysis of a contemporary expert on the Russian Campaign: "Napoleon should have guided his army in a prudent, methodical, and judicious way. But then, he wouldn’t have been Napoleon." This comment reveals a very important trap for the Social 2: the fact that such neurosis is often socially rewarded, so how could one abandon something that seemingly gives so much?

Napoleon possessed an analytical mind, was able to juggle multiple tasks at the same time, worked seven days a week for more than twelve hours a day, enjoyed a nearly photographic memory, liked to be informed about everything, and got involved even in the smallest administrative matters, rarely delegating. On the other hand, he paid more attention to his hygiene than was common for the time and took great care of his personal appearance. The eroticism of power, combined with his skills in seduction through words, made him a very attractive man despite his lack of physical beauty.

Josephine was his companion in every sense and his great emotional and moral support. However, love and sex were entirely secondary for him. One day, after an argument with Josephine about her lover, he told a friend: "My lover does not occupy my feelings; it is simply a matter of power." He didn’t understand why Josephine got upset. "She makes things too serious, always thinking I’m going to stop loving her; she can’t understand that love is not for me." Here, we see the emotional coldness of the Social 2 and how little value they may place on the feelings of others. His vehement and disconnected declaration "love is not for me" resonates deeply with this character.

In three years, he managed to conquer almost all of Europe and rules over more than seventy million people. Since the time of the Caesars, no man has had as much power.

The highest point of Napoleon's life parabola was his self-coronation as Emperor of the French in Paris, in December of 1804, at the age of thirty-five. Although he invited the Pope to the ceremony, he refused to let the Church crown him. According to him, "religion is excellent for keeping ordinary people silent and for ensuring that the poor do not kill the rich." But beyond his knowledge of the power of religion to subdue people, he did not recognize any divinity other than his own: "To do everything one is capable of doing is to be a man; to do everything one would like to do is to be a God." And he did it.

The coronation as emperor represents, on the one hand, the pinnacle of glory to be achieved for anyone aspiring to power, and on the other, the maximum expression of his own neurosis (just as the conservative subtype is the princess; the Sexual subtype, the queen; and the Social subtype, the empress). It constitutes an incredible act of arrogance, as it is he himself who places the crown on his head, eliminating the submission to something or someone implicit when one is crowned. Therefore, all that remains is his own neurosis.

Another important aspect of Napoleon's self-coronation is the presence of his family members (except for his mother, who refused to attend, though Napoleon forced David to include her in the commemorative painting). They do not attend as part of the sovereign’s inner circle, but rather as direct emissaries of his power. In fact, they all receive political positions, reflecting his neurotic need for group belonging through power-based relationships rather than shared connections. Once again, he allows his ego to be reaffirmed through a false generosity.

Although preceded by other signals, such as the attempt to conquer Spain, Napoleon’s first downfall is undoubtedly linked to the Russian campaign, where Napoleon becomes "too Napoleonic," attempting to conquer such an extensive and empty territory that it becomes unmanageable—a good metaphor for the neurosis of the Social 2. In both the cases of Spain and Russia, he makes the mistake, typical of this Enneatype, of overlooking the fact that others love their country as much as he loves his, France.

The titanic feat Napoleon undertakes when invading Russia can only be undertaken with a messianic self-concept. His rational elaboration, that is, the analysis of favorable and unfavorable conditions, opportunities, and threats, does not matter. Like the blindness of a lover, who sees the loved one only through their positive projections, Napoleon, madly in love with himself, sees nothing but grand images of his actions. As Tolstoy writes, "It seemed no novelty to him that his presence in every corner of the world, from Africa to the steppes of Moscow, intoxicated people, immersing them in a mad forgetfulness of themselves."

When he realizes he has done so much for nothing—along with the enormous and terrifying cost in human lives—he decides to retreat. In the end, only a few thousand men manage to return from the six hundred thousand. Still, Napoleon shows no ethical doubt;

he only wonders how it was possible that he failed. His inability to accept limits becomes clear, along with the subsequent impulse to change once again what he perceives as an unacceptable order of things.

After many years of marriage to Josephine, he has no heirs, which threatens the stability of his position. Despite still loving her, in his own way, and after much thought, he divorces her. Within his tendency to use people, and although at that time it might not have been so unusual, in Napoleon's case, it is a character trait. Someone hears him exclaim, "I want to marry a uterus," an example of the objectification of people in the Social 2.

Napoleon is forty-five years old and is exiled to the island of Elba, near Corsica. The fall, losing everything, is not unusual in the life of the Social 2, but as he himself said, "My greatness does not lie in never having fallen, but in always having risen." So, he quickly establishes a miniature court in Elba until, about to die from boredom, he decides to escape. Louis XVIII had ascended to the throne, and his ineptitude helped Napoleon be received in Paris as a hero. In reality, he had few chances, as Europe had united, gripped by panic: "The devil has returned." To fight him, Waterloo would be definitive.

According to some sources, when the news reaches the Congress of Vienna about Napoleon’s escape from his exile in Elba, they laugh; the news seems so unbelievable to them. The truth, as Lefebvre holds, is that Napoleon does not resign himself to his condition as an exile and tries to risk everything in an apparently hopeless adventure. Like in a Greek tragedy, nemesis appears. If the Battle of Marengo represented the decisive push toward an almost limitless rise, but determined by random factors that had nothing to do with the personal merit of the then First Consul, the Battle of Waterloo represents a series of unfortunate coincidences that seem to validate Tolstoy's interpretation of the decisive presence of providence, completely detached from personal talent.

Once again, he is exiled, but this time to Saint Helena, a remote and sinister island far from everything. Living his final years in a wooden house that had once been a stable, he complains: "To die means nothing, but to die without glory is to die a little every day." And with the word, which was the only weapon he had left, he wrote his memoirs, to justify his actions and affirm that all he had wanted was to create a new world.

He was heard saying that if Christ had not been crucified, he would not have been God. He saw Saint Helena as the final stop on his own personal Via Crucis. After five years, boredom killed him. That, and perhaps a profound sadness, when he found himself.

Napoleon was, above all, a man with great presence and overwhelming intensity, who considered himself invincible. An ambitious man in action who only trusted himself. A tyrant and manipulator who, being the most powerful man in France, dreamed of dominating all of Europe under French laws. He made several kings lose their crowns and

believed that education would make people free. As First Consul, he transformed the country: he created the Lycées, the central bank, roads and bridges, and enacted laws that abolished feudal rights and guaranteed equality for citizens. Thanks to his madness, the Rosetta Stone was discovered, enabling the deciphering of hieroglyphs.

Napoleon's Quotes that Reflect the Social 2 Character:

• "There is no distance that cannot be covered, nor goal that cannot be reached." • "Ambition never stops, not even at the peak of greatness." • "History is written by the winners." • "Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you have no strength." • "A leader is a distributor of hope." • "The truest wisdom is a resolute determination." • "'Impossible' is a word found only in the dictionary of fools." • "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." • "A great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it can accomplish very good or very bad acts. It all depends on the principles that guide them." • "True character always emerges in great circumstances." • "We would never undertake anything if we wanted to ensure the success of our enterprise in advance." • "I can no longer obey you. I have tasted command, and I cannot give it up." • "Success is the most eloquent speaker in the world." • "Greatness is nothing unless it is enduring." • "If I had to choose a religion, the Sun, as the universal giver of life, would be my God." • "A general must be a talker." • "A picture is worth a thousand words." • "France needs me more than I need France." • "Public opinion is the thermometer that a monarch must constantly consult." • "Envy is a declaration of inferiority."

Julius Caesar

He is one of the greatest conquerors in the world and also one of the most notorious genocides of all time. He rose to power with such an elaborate strategy that it has become a reference manual on how to achieve it. He improved the lives of his people, and they

loved him as much as his enemies feared him. His legacy is immense. Julius Caesar changed the borders, and his influence still persists in the world. He was never called Emperor of Rome, but he acted as one, to the point that he is still remembered today. We owe him the 365-day calendar, in which his name is included, so in a way, he even changed time. A friend of his once said that he only lacked changing the stars.

He was a great conqueror, persuasive, calculating, fearless, and also an implacable tyrant, egocentric, and excessive. He was a populist leader and a centralizer of power, who continues to influence politics and war. He transformed Roman democracy into a dictatorship, and although his reign did not last long at the top, he was the architect of transforming the republic into an empire larger than his ego.

Gaius Julius Caesar was born in Rome around 100 BC, in the squalid district of Suburra. The Rome in which he grew up was not the one we see in movies, full of culture, wealth, and territory; that was the one he would leave as his legacy. He was the only male child in his parents' marriage, and his childhood was spent in an environment predominantly female, between his mother and two sisters. Like all young nobles and patricians of the time, he was taught to fear the gods, respect the laws, follow the rules of decency, modesty, and frugality. His paternal aunt, Julia, also played a significant role in his education and guidance. It is common in the biographies of the Social 2 to see the presence of a "substitute" mother.

Growing up in such a depressed area of the city meant a fall from grace that deeply affected young Julius. He knew the glorious past of his family, and their current situation affected him profoundly. This could have led him to become a depressed and withdrawn man. However, he decided to rise in politics and society to return to his rightful place. The Social 2 is a transformer of their environment. Like the Er type, they believe they know how things should be and have a reformist spirit. Faced with the disaster of his family's downfall, instead of sinking into despair, he used his pride as a driving force to rise and seek revenge for the humiliations he had suffered.

A descendant of the famous Julia family, of modest economic conditions but aristocratic origins, he was related to some of the most influential men of his time. The historian Tacitus compared his mother to Cornelia, mother of the Gracchi, based on her intelligence, purity of customs, and noble character. The issue was that his father participated in the civil war on the losing side, and the family was stripped of much of its power and influence.

Like Napoleon, Julius Caesar came from a family with some prestige but one that had lost status. This was something he experienced as a shame or humiliation, and at the same time, it became a driving force to overcome failure. Similarly, he soon lost his father, and his mother played a great role both in his education and in the high ambition that would soon become evident.

At the age of sixteen, he became head of his family. However, with no money and dishonored, the only way to regain his honor was to join the army. To achieve glory in Roman society, he needed to stand out on the battlefield. So, at the age of nineteen, he participated in different campaigns, where he faced death. He began as a common soldier and, over a decade, began rising through the ranks. What made him different was his willingness to throw himself into battle without hesitation, assuming great personal risk. The Social 2 does not consider the possible consequences or adverse aspects of reality when blinded by a goal. There is even competitiveness with oneself, and the drive to challenge death is enormous, whether in war or through excess or neglect.

Rome became the leading power in the Mediterranean, drastically expanding its territory, partly thanks to the two million slaves who built roads to access the new territories, until Spartacus appeared, intending to free the slaves and take revenge on Rome. When the rebel was at the gates of Rome, Crassus led the army, and Julius Caesar seized the opportunity to demonstrate his strategic and resolute abilities, suggesting how to take the offensive and overthrow Spartacus. He knew that if his plan failed, Rome would be destroyed, but he trusted himself. He took this risk not just to gain power but to defend everything he loved. After a final massacre, they managed to defeat the slaves, and Crassus decided to crucify six thousand survivors. Caesar criticized this, seeing it as more effective to use them as labor in cities and cannon fodder in battles.

The parallel with Napoleon is interesting, as he also took advantage of a decisive moment during a rebellion in Paris to propose a strategy that achieved the goal and facilitated his rise and the recognition of his superiors. We also see how, in Caesar's mind, the possibility of exploiting the slaves was quickly drawn, not as an act of generosity or benevolence, but out of pure practicality.

Caesar moved to Asia to fight in Miletus. He worked as a lawyer for a while, becoming known for his careful oratory, a common trait in the Social 2, who is capable of rallying and exciting crowds by seducing them with carefully crafted language, rich in imagery and tailored to each audience. In 73 BC, he succeeded his uncle Gaius Aurelius Cotta as Pontifex. Three years later, in 70 BC, Caesar was appointed quaestor in Hispania and edil in Rome. In the following years, he continued to rise. He was elected praetor urbanus and Pontifex Maximus after Sulla's death, gaining access to a significant religious office in the pious life of Rome.

Despite this success, Caesar decided to travel to Rhodes to further his education, studying philosophy and rhetoric with Molon, considered the best grammarian of his time. The Social 2 enjoys consulting recognized figures in their field, being elitist and refined in everything they consume.

However, he did not achieve his purpose, as he was kidnapped by pirates in Pharmacusa. When they demanded a ransom of twenty talents, he laughed and challenged them to ask for fifty. In this episode, Caesar demonstrated his ability to remain calm, his insolence, and his ability to be unbearable. While waiting, he composed speeches that he made the pirates listen to, calling them ignorant and barbaric when they did not applaud, threatening them in return. The bravado and excessive self-confidence are evident here: the Social 2 is so convinced that what they say is sublime that they fail to understand why someone wouldn't appreciate it. Thirty-eight days later, the ransom arrived, and the first thing Caesar did was organize a fleet to capture the pirates, whom he ordered to be crucified. In a gesture of "compassion," he allowed them to be beheaded first. The Social 2 calls revenge "justice" when it is necessary, whether explicitly or implicitly, when they feel hurt, humiliated, or offended. In his gesture toward the pirates, we can see the magnanimity he offers his enemies.

Rome had no emperor or king; it was governed by a Senate and a consul, who commanded the armed forces and held the most power. Crassus and Pompey were vying for the position, both claiming credit for the defeat of Spartacus. Caesar missed the opportunity for glory but was glad to return home to his wife, Cordelia, and his only daughter, Julia.

Another cause of disagreement is that Pompey intends to distribute land among the soldiers to reward their effort and loyalty, but Crassus disagrees, and the Senate sides with him. Caesar sees that this situation is not favorable for him and that he finds himself in the middle of an endless dispute, making life difficult in Rome and hindering its development. He doesn't want to end up like his father, so he begins to plan how to avoid being on the wrong side. The Social 2 tends to prioritize negotiation over direct confrontation, preferring transformation to rupture. For this, he will manipulate, seduce, and find ways to resolve the conflict always in favor of his own interests.

He is thirty years old when his wife Cornelia dies. Shortly after, Caesar loses his aunt Julia, to whom he had been very close. Against the customs of the time, he organizes both funerals publicly and, to challenge his enemy Sulla, he displays images of his relatives who had been considered outlaws at the funeral. This challenge was highly appreciated by the plebeians. Here, we can see the rebellion and transgression of limits that the Social 2 carries out with innocent arrogance, despite traditions or legal imperatives, attracting the sympathy of the disadvantaged and taking on the defense of just causes without anyone asking for it.

Crassus and Pompey remain entrenched in their positions, and Caesar needs their support and money since he doesn't yet have wealth. So, he comes up with a plan that, though seemingly impossible, will prove brilliant. If it fails, he will lose everything, but if successful, it will be his life-changing opportunity to rise in the Republic. He gathers both and flatters

them, offering them a solution: If they support him to become consul, they will hold power in the shadows. The corruption and lack of scruples become evident. To win Pompey's trust, Caesar offers him the hand of his daughter Julia. Although this could have been a custom of the time, Caesar shows no qualms when it comes to achieving his goals. Finally, in 59 BC, he is elected consul, forming the so-called First Triumvirate with Crassus and Pompey.

He manages to have several laws approved. One of them reestablishes the loyalty of the army to Caesar: his agrarian law regulates the distribution of land among veteran soldiers. However, the approval of these laws is not easy; the Senate does not support many of them. Faced with this opposition, Caesar resolves the issue by using thugs to intimidate the senators who oppose his proposals, arguing that those who do not support his initiatives do not serve Rome. He imposes himself, but his image changes, and he begins to be seen as a man so ambitious that he will not renounce any method to get what he wants.

The Social 2 can resort to falsehoods, tricks, masks, and even unethical behavior to achieve their objectives: although internally they will erase or reinterpret it so that it appears justified. The phrase "the end justifies the means" applies to him. On the other hand, although it may appear that he does this to protect the group, and surely part of it is true, it is also true that his ultimate interest is to have control, exercise power, and gain glory.

Caesar increases his fortune; he becomes a powerful and extravagant man, famous for the parties he organizes; his motto is: "Carpe diem." At one of these celebrations, he meets Servilia, who will be his lover for years. She is intelligent, as ambitious as he is, and maintains many and varied contacts with the powerful people of the time, something Caesar will take advantage of. Throughout his life, she will be his ally, but always in favor of her own interests and those of her son Brutus. Even in relationships, the Social 2 often has an added interest and makes use of the other, although in this case, it is mutual.

In addition to being a conqueror of territories, Caesar is insatiable when it comes to sex. He even has four wives, and, being young, it was not unusual at the time to have relations with people of both sexes, and Caesar does so. He also does not exclude the women of his Senate colleagues and aristocrats, something that brings him many enemies and resentments.

Caesar begins to become unpopular in the Senate, so his two allies decide to remove him as consul. He despairs, thinking that being consul was the first step, not the last. He comes up with a new campaign: He will go to the provinces to conquer more territories and achieve a new victory, thus saving his political career. He decides to go to Gaul, which is considered a threat to Rome; if he manages to conquer it, he will be seen as a hero. However, this maneuver is not approved by the Senate, so if he fails, he will be considered a traitor and sentenced to death. But just imagining the image he will project onto the people if he succeeds is enough to motivate a Social 2 to start any project.

It is common to see one or more failures in the history of the Social 2, but also a resurgence fueled by their determination and high self-confidence. Many of the projects they initiate may seem like mere fantasies of grandeur, but it is not strange for the Social 2 to make them a reality, something that confirms their sense of omnipotence. At the same time, we see again the rebellion and daring of Caesar to break the established norm, highlighting his ambition. Neither the Senate, nor the laws, nor the eventuality of his own death will stop him.

He is appointed proconsul of Gaul, where he is so aggressive that he subjects the Celtic tribes to near extinction. Caesar is, above all, a strategist and knows how to use his advances as one of the first forms of propaganda. When he starts to conquer territories, he sends letters to Rome, written in the third person to make them appear more objective and neutral. They are designed for the people to read and for his fame to prosper, presenting him as a hero conquering new lands. Motivated by his exploits, other soldiers request to join his troops. One of them will be Mark Antony, who is beginning his military career and will soon gain Caesar's recognition.

Social image is fundamental for a Social 2, and in this case, Caesar surprisingly becomes his own war correspondent. This allows him to influence the people psychologically and present himself as a hero, loved and admired, staying in the public eye with writings about his feats, even though he is thousands of miles away. Napoleon did the same; what is surprising is that Julius Caesar lived almost two thousand years earlier, making this absolutely innovative and creative.

His domains expand over France, Belgium, Holland, and parts of Germany. He was the first Roman general to penetrate the uncharted territories of Britain and Germania. Again, we can see a type of leadership that not only relies on achieving common goals but also on how to get others to support you. In Caesar's case, the loyalty of his men is unquestionable, and they will follow him to the ends of the Earth.

In Rome, Crassus and Pompey begin to worry about the fame and fortune he is accumulating and regret sending him there. Now he has become more powerful and influential than they are. Crassus goes to the Middle East in search of fame but finds death there due to his greed. Pompey takes advantage of the situation and has himself appointed consul of Rome, which leads to the end of the triumvirate.

In the war against the Gauls, the cruelty of Caesar can be seen when, at one point, Vercingetorix allows twenty thousand women and children to leave the fortress. Caesar shows no mercy and lets them die of starvation. He has been in Gaul for six years and is now facing Vercingetorix at Alesia, who has managed to unite almost all the Gallic tribes. In this decisive battle, Caesar is gambling everything on this card. If he succeeds, he will be the greatest conqueror in the eyes of the Romans.

Vercingetorix surrenders, asks for mercy for his men, and hands over his sword. Caesar holds him prisoner for five years, ultimately strangling him while parading him through the streets of Rome. Caesar has won more than a battle; he has conquered all of Gaul. This victory extends Rome's borders to the Atlantic Ocean, making them rulers of what we now know as Europe. Caesar only wants to return to Rome to be acclaimed and take power without opposition. In an apparent act of generosity, he sends gold and treasures for the Roman people to celebrate his triumph: banquets, gladiator fights, and festivities captivate the Romans, making Caesar the most popular and powerful man in Rome.

Only sculptures of Julius Caesar made during his lifetime remain, likely because they were destroyed after his fall. However, considering his character, what kind of image did he want to transmit of himself? In the light of one of the few busts recovered, he didn't seem to aim for being seen as beautiful or youthful. He shows maturity, concern, and a furrowed brow, as if wanting to convey how much he works for Rome and the people, and how important the tasks at hand are.

His face minted on coins must have been striking, as it was only done with some dead kings. Caesar, as a Social 2, was a pioneer, and this was also true in this regard: He was the first in the West to put his face on money, so in any economic transaction, he was present. To the powerful, this must have seemed arrogant; but the people loved these gestures from Caesar because they made them think he was an outsider to the Roman elite.

Caesar's spectacles were the grandest. On one occasion, he held a banquet with twenty-two thousand tables, featuring exquisite and expensive fish, which made him especially generous in the eyes of the people. Caesar knew how to use these spectacles to win the love of the people (or tame the beasts).

It seems he was vain about his image. For example, at that time, baldness was not well-regarded, and Caesar did everything possible to hide it, including wearing a laurel crown, which, in addition to being a symbol of power, also concealed his thinning hair.

Pompey saw all this popularity as a threat since Caesar was more influential than the Senate itself. He decided to get rid of him by vilifying him. He requested that he be captured and prosecuted. Other senators, also fearing that Caesar was becoming too powerful, supported him. Among them was Brutus. The son of Servilia, he had grown up admiring Caesar, but his mother, who cared only for her own benefit, encouraged him to confront his lover, believing Pompey’s side was the winning one.

Julia, Caesar's only daughter and heir, died while giving birth. This left him alone in the world and facing the decision of either accepting the insults and condemnation of the Senate or marching into Rome with his troops. He decided to risk everything again and, in January 49 BC, crossed the Rubicon, the border between Gaul and Italy, initiating a civil

war. He wasn’t going to allow anyone to give him orders or take away everything he considered his. Crossing the Rubicon was the definitive moment of Caesar’s career; there was no turning back.

A Social 2 either leaves the family aside or doesn’t have one. This solitude allowed him to dive into his obsessive ambition without interference or emotional ties to maintain. Caesar would only care about family later on, with the goal of leaving his legacy to a successor.

This was a decisive moment for him, as he faced the political class to definitively take power. The Social 2 usurps the role of father in the family of origin, and this is transferred to other relationships with authority and power. The fact is so decisive that it has led to a popular saying: "Crossing the Rubicon" means taking a high risk and passing the point of no return. These boldnesses are common in this character, who risks limits that can lead to hard and painful failures. "Alea iacta est," Caesar exclaimed at that crucial moment ("The die is cast"). Another recognizable aspect of the Social 2 is that they trust in their luck; something they achieve by ceasing to think and allowing themselves to be swept away by the emotion of the moment.

The Senate becomes frightened and is about to give in, but Pompey proposes abandoning Rome, leaving the city without a government, to gather his armies in Greece. The plan is to bring together the troops scattered across Asia to fight Caesar’s loyal forces. The city falls into chaos. Pompey wants Caesar to come there, but Caesar gets ahead of him and goes after him to prevent him from uniting his armies. To do so, he forces his troops, who are 300 kilometers ahead, with his inexhaustible energy.

Pompey escapes, but Caesar does not give up and pressures his soldiers to build a fleet. Despite being outnumbered, Caesar has more experience and skill, as he has been leading his troops for years. The former friends reunite to try to reach an agreement, which involves Caesar surrendering and being judged. At this point, Mark Antony has managed to reach the Greek coast and increase Caesar's troops, which changes the situation. The victor will be considered the greatest general of Rome and will lead what is destined to be the most powerful empire in the world.

We can clearly see one of the characteristics of leadership that the Social 2 exercises in Caesar's relationship with his army, similar to Napoleon’s relationship with his own: the absolute loyalty of his men. They felt he was one of them. He ate, slept, violated, and killed like they did. He took the same risks; he made them feel important. Usually beside the winner, they were delighted to be part of his victories. Their trust and dedication to Caesar were, therefore, unquestionable. The Social 2 focuses on the person and transmits an inclusive vision, so that his followers feel part of something greater. In return, he asks for absolute loyalty and blind trust in his purposes.

Pompey flees to Alexandria after his defeat, and Brutus is captured. Caesar orders his men not to harm him, considering him like a son and wanting him on his side. Moreover, this way he protects both Servilia’s interests and his own, as it is important for him that Brutus, a member of the Roman nobility, supports him.

Caesar sends Mark Antony to Rome to control the city. He is, above all, a soldier, and doesn’t trust anyone else. He heads after Pompey to Egypt, one of the richest regions in the entire Mediterranean, and loyal to Rome.

Ptolemy is the young Pharaoh who rules a fragmented and rebellious Egypt. He should have co-ruled with his sister Cleopatra, but they are at war. Pompey urges Ptolemy to support him, but the king is not fully convinced. When Caesar arrives, the Egyptian king presents him with Pompey’s severed head as a gift. Caesar is scandalized by this act and rejects it, seeing it as an undignified and degrading fate. When Ptolemy tries to collect his debt, Caesar refuses, and is detained until he changes his mind.

For a Social 2, victory must be clear, recognized, and appear as altruistic as possible. Not only is he proud, but he wants to face men worthy of him, which enhances his feat. The act of Ptolemy seems humiliating not only to Pompey, whom he admires as an enemy, but also to Caesar, as it prevents his victory from being seen with honor.

Rome is without government, and there is a shortage of food. With over a million inhabitants, supplies are not arriving, and there is no administration capable of regulating the city. Mark Antony is a good soldier but a terrible regent. He lacks the ambition and the capability to govern the capital. He is unable to contain the people and can only think of attacking the civilians to control them. Rome is in unprecedented chaos.

When he returns, Caesar reprimands Mark Antony for the treatment he gave to the people and his ineptitude in his absence. It must have been a great disappointment, as the Social 2 sees their collaborators as an extension of themselves, although they know how to excuse mistakes and regain the trust of those who show loyalty and obedience.

In Egypt, Caesar remains confined and unable to escape, until a woman enters the scene who will turn his life around every time she appears: Cleopatra. Another Social 2. While it may seem sexual, everything she does answers to her hunger for power. She is intellectual, highly ambitious, and highly motivated to wield power. By allying with Caesar, she believes she strengthens her position in the war against her brother Ptolemy. Thus, both use each other; it is a relationship of interest, with both thinking that the other is a safe bet.

In 47 BC, Caesar, with Cleopatra by his side, takes the city of Alexandria, and she gains power. The Roman, impressed by her ambition and charisma, wants to stay in Egypt. She also tries to convince him that it is by her side that he can be a true king. However, in Rome,

conflicts continue due to Mark Antony’s incompetence, so he ultimately has to leave to resolve the mess himself. The Social 2 only delegates if they see no other option, and most of the time, they are disappointed when they do, which reinforces their belief that only they can do things properly.

Julius Caesar is about fifty years old, almost an old man for the time. His health is deteriorating, and his indiscriminate sexual relationships are causing him illnesses. He often suffers from headaches, fainting, and, although no one knows except Mark Antony and perhaps some of his generals, he suffers from epilepsy, which at the time was known as the "disease of the gods" or "the falling disease." This makes him realize that he cannot control everything and that he is not invincible.

Despite the growing presence of his illness, due to the stress he faces, the unprecedented power he now holds drives him to make Rome stronger and more united. He has restored order in the Senate and the city, and his next step will be to transform the republic into what he has always dreamed of—an empire.

The concealment of his illness is characteristic of this subtype, who endures it until it worsens to the point where he has no choice but to seek medical help or take some form of care. It is symbolic that Caesar's illness is referred to as "the falling disease," as if nothing could bring down this character except his own body. As for the "disease of the gods," it only serves to enhance Caesar's image.

Twelve years have passed since he left Rome, and now he returns to try to regain the favor of the people, despite how Mark Antony has treated him. Now, he has to reorganize a government that has turned against him. The senators expect him to take revenge on them by having them killed. To everyone's surprise, Caesar launches a new strategy, showing magnanimity, perhaps even naively. But it is merely a strategy, supported by his own narcissism: he grants amnesty to everyone and forgives them despite their betrayal.

It is typical of the social type to show, in response to another's mistake, a range from condescension to magnanimity. It is the kind of mercy that only someone who feels powerful can offer. By forgiving their lives, he strengthens his alliances and his cause, but forgiveness comes at a price. Caesar proclaims himself dictator for ten years. It is a position of absolute authority, which was only acceptable to the Romans in cases of emergency and for six months. Now, he is untouchable and holds all the power, something that, in itself, goes against what the Republic and its Constitution represent.

This is not the first time we see in Caesar’s biography, as well as in people of his character, that they push both luck and the limits of what is established or tolerated by others, to see how far they can go. Beneath it, there is a desire, even hidden from himself, for someone to stop his never-ending career.

Caesar knows what needs to be done, and a social type always knows, and now, nothing will interfere with him. The first thing he does is win over the people, who are about to die from starvation. He gives them grain and organizes games like no one has ever seen before, using them as a means to influence public opinion. "Bread and circuses" are born as a way to pacify complaints. Caesar finally achieves what he has always longed for: the love of the Roman people, who now see him as a magnanimous leader.

As a good social type, his actions are geared toward both confirming his own inflated image and satisfying the needs of the group, presenting himself as the only one who understands them, loves them, and can solve their problems. He is the first to use skills that seem innate to this character; he knows how to use marketing to his advantage. He intuits the needs of the group and, at the same time, understands how to reach their hearts through an emotional speech, full of fantastic ideas and suggestive images, all delivered with passion and intensity, a result of his vital force that seduces and envelops his audience.

The Senate accepts his conditions, but he needs more allies, so he tries to win over the younger ones, among whom is Brutus. Caesar tries to attract him and gives him preferential treatment, not only because of the relationship with his mother and with him in earlier times, but more importantly, because he can use him to his advantage. Brutus is a man respected by the Senate and represents the most traditional values of the Republic; at the same time, the young man feels indebted to Caesar for his betrayal. Caesar flatters him with his trust and appoints him governor; little by little, he sees him as a substitute son. The social type always has an ulterior motive in their relationships.

Then, Caesar begins a series of reforms that will change the city and the government. Many of the inhabitants of Rome had no work. To address this situation, Caesar orders the construction of temples, libraries, and a harbor; he wants to benefit both the people and the nobles. Due to the chaos caused by an inaccurate calendar, which brought them cyclical problems, he implements a new calendar, based on the solar year, which will be applied throughout the empire and has lasted to this day. Another unexpected and radical innovation is granting Roman citizenship to the people of Gaul. This is an attempt to prevent a rebellion, but it is also a sign of a broader view towards the conquered territories.

The Senate receives this proposal as an assault on Rome, but in reality, it is a very astute strategy to keep the Gauls under control. He is a visionary, a mix of idealist and braggart, who sometimes achieves the impossible. Everything in him is pure strategy, aimed at controlling and pulling the strings, enriching himself, and increasing his glory. But at the same time, he is a revolutionary, a patriarch who delights in pleasing his people and increasing their common welfare. A tyrant disguised as a lamb, who wants to dominate other peoples while also being accepted and loved by them.

Something sudden will alter and change Caesar’s fate again: the surprise arrival in Rome of Cleopatra, with Caesarion, their child. This will strengthen Caesar’s dreams of creating a dynasty, ruin Brutus’s hope of being his successor, and will become his death sentence.

The social type idealizes themselves in their goals as well. They are tireless and do not know when to stop, surpassing the limit of their strength and what is acceptable within the system. This passionate drive inevitably translates into increasingly delirious ambitions.

In 45 BC, Julius Caesar begins to fantasize about the possibility of Rome being ruled by a single family—his. His delusions of grandeur are now ungraspable and unstoppable. He begins to make statues in his honor, placing them next to those of the gods, constructs buildings in his family's name, starts wearing a purple tunic, once reserved for kings, and declares his birthday an official holiday. Everything he does is marked by arrogance and megalomania. The Senate is scandalized when he attempts to proclaim himself dictator for life.

It is then that some senators begin to conspire on how to end him. Caesar, in a move as desperate as it is audacious, decides to conquer Parthia. A new victory would not only bring tribute to the Roman people, but also satisfy his need for conquest. His war project provokes a quick and decisive reaction. Fearing that he will triumph and crown himself king of Rome, they conspire to end his life.

A few days before his departure, they summon him to a meeting. They wait for Caesar to enter the Senate, where, suddenly, several friends and colleagues surround him, delivering twenty-three stab wounds. Among his assassins is Brutus. The famous phrase by Shakespeare is attributed to Caesar, who, upon seeing him, exclaims: "Et tu, Brute?"

Rome is shocked. The people mourn him and avenge his murderers. The situation spirals out of control in the city, and two factions emerge, one led by Mark Antony and the other by Brutus. The latter is defeated and takes his life on the battlefield. Mark Antony flees to Egypt and marries Cleopatra, with whom he will soon commit suicide. Caesarion will be killed at the age of seventeen. With Caesar’s death and after years of violence, Octavian, his nephew, becomes the first emperor of Rome, ruling for forty years.

Caesar ultimately achieved his goal of overthrowing the Republic and establishing the Caesar dynasty. This architect of the modern world, obsessed with power and domination, failed to consider that perhaps his dream was not shared by all. His changes came too quickly for some, and his good intentions were more a result of his personal ambition than the ideal he sold to himself. But after him, nothing was ever the same.

Quotes from Julius Caesar that reflect the character of the Social 2:

• "I would rather be first in a village than second in Rome." • "It is only arrogance if I fail." • "Let me run, and I will fight with things that everyone thinks are impossible." • "If I fail, it is simply because I have too much pride and ambition." • "Generally, men believe what they want." • "I came, I saw, I conquered." • "If you must break the law, do it to seize power. If not, observe it." • "Men tend to believe what is convenient for them." • "It is the law of war that the victors treat the vanquished as they please." • "Cowards die many times before their deaths... the brave do not even experience death." • "Nothing is so difficult that I cannot achieve it with strength."

Cinematic and Literary Examples

A Literary Example Lucien Rubempré

From Lost Illusions, by Honoré de Balzac

Lost Illusions is a novel by Honoré de Balzac, published in three parts between 1837 and 1843. Balzac addresses a topic deeply related to his own direct experience: his difficult relationship with the bourgeois society of his time. Blending autobiography and sociological investigation, a balance between philosophy and the analysis of passions, realism and visionary imagination, he tells the story of Lucien, a provincial poet with grand literary ambitions.

Description

The "lost illusions" refer to those of Lucien, a young man who faces the difficulties of self-assertion as he enters the literary world in search of a future. These are also the lost illusions of his family regarding him. Lucien is recognized for his beauty and talent but is a young man without willpower, indolent, weak, selfish, and unconscious. A product of his time, he lacks the will to confront the all-consuming and ruthless Parisian society of appearances and pleasure.

The aspiring writer, constantly in search of love and happiness, is a romantic unable to see the shadow in people and society, unknowingly participating as a sacrificial victim in the art of oppression. The novel accounts for his existential failure, the illusions destined to break, the weaknesses of a provincial man who becomes an antihero. Lucien's disillusionments are exacerbated by two mirrors, two virtuous traps: family and the circle of truly great men, the intellectuals of that era, to which Lucien belongs, at least in the early stages of his life.

Plot of the Novel

Introduced to high society in Angoulême, Lucien quickly wins over everyone with his grace and affability. Men and women are captivated by his beauty and talent. Still young, he sets off for Paris with his mentor, an elderly married woman, to conquer success. This platonic love is the beginning of many of the illusions that will eventually lead to Lucien's downfall. Upon arriving in the capital, he attempts to publish his poetry without success and retreats into journalism.

The young duke notices the signs of deep medication in Lucien, and he is not mistaken in believing he can intuit the cause. Lucien, ambitious yet lacking constant will, is shown the political horizon just as the journalists have shown it, from the heights of the Temple, as the devil showed Jesus, the literary world and its riches.

Lucien meets D'Arthez, a liberal philosopher who introduces him to the circle, composed of young men with different political ideas, occupations, and social backgrounds, but who shared a good friendship and dedicated themselves to an ascetic life in service of art or science. Lucien frequents the circle for a time but is too impatient to create a great literary work. What he aspires to is money, to redeem himself in the eyes of his family. Above all, he yearns for easy success. He wants glory, to feel like a hero, and caught up in the whirlwind of a luxurious life, he forgets all ethical principles and falls into the traps of competitiveness.

It is noted that certain temperaments, truly poetic but weak-willed, focused on feeling to express their sensations in images, essentially lack the moral sense that must accompany every observation. Poets prefer to receive impressions themselves rather than penetrate others’ to study the mechanism of feelings.

His soul, heart, and mind had also undergone a transformation: he no longer thought about questioning the means in view of such excellent results. He understands that "the press and intelligence were, therefore, the means of contemporary society." He enters journalism and becomes convinced that he can navigate this interesting and remunerative world, following a much easier path than that of a poet. He grows accustomed to this little world,

the competitive procedures that characterize it, and the strategic ways to weave relationships. He sees all of this as a possibility to stand out with his intelligence and supposed cunning.

His grand ambitions to make money and go down in history will lead him to ruin.

A Conversation with His Editor

— "Yes," replied Dauriat, "I have read your article. And, of course, in your own interest, I reject The Daisies!" "Yes, sir," Lucien said, "I will be able to provide you in six months with more money for the articles I will be asked for than for your unsellable poetry!"

— "And glory?" Lucien exclaimed.

He feels like an artist and protagonist, though he is merely a pawn in the system. Lucien begins to sign his articles under the pseudonym Rubempré (the aristocratic name of his mother), nurturing a deep desire to acquire a noble title.

The awareness of his power and strength transcended his appearance, illuminated by love and experience. Finally, he could gaze at the literary world and high society face to face, believing he could move through them with the airs of a conqueror.

He falls in love with a young actress named Coralie and begins to live a luxurious life. His ambition leads him to become interested in politics, switching from the liberal newspaper where he wrote to a proudly monarchist one.

Lucien refuses to think about tomorrow. He sees, on the other hand, that his supposed friends behave in the same way, living off lucrative pamphlets from editors and payments for certain articles necessary to support risky operations, devouring everything and not worrying about the future. Once admitted to the world of journalism and literature in equal measure, Lucien realizes the immense difficulties he would have to overcome to ascend: while everyone consents to being his equal, no one wants him above them. Slowly, he gives up on literary glory, believing political success would be easier to achieve.

Sensitive to flattery, Lucien changes political parties and starts writing articles defending the government. His goal is to recover the noble title of Rubempré, which once belonged to his mother.

The Countess of Montcorner flatters him while teaching him the rules of the game: "They say you're as handsome as you're intelligent and they can't wait to meet you..."

"...But you only find one man in a thousand who combines such talent with such an amazing ability to adapt..."

Louise wanted to obtain a royal order from the king allowing him to carry the surname and title of Rubempré. She wanted to bury the Chardon. "You may think these ideas are just visions and fantasies, but we know a little about life and we know what a title of count carried by an elegant and charming young man is worth. Just try announcing here, in front of a young English millionaire or a wealthy heiress: 'Monsieur Chardon,' or 'the Count of Rubempré,' and you will see the difference. The reactions would be very different. Even if he were in debt, the count would find open hearts, and his beauty would shine like a diamond on a rich velvet cushion."

The competitive and sycophantic world of journalism quickly understands how sensitive Lucien is to compliments and falsely praises him for his strategic talents, comparing his conquests to Napoleon's, in order to instrumentalize him economically and politically.

"Our friend," continued Finot, giving Lucien a pat on the hand, "has made a brilliant career in this respect. In truth, Lucien is more talented, has more talent, and is more intelligent than all those who envy him, and he's also extraordinarily beautiful; his former friends cannot forgive his successes and claim they were simply due to luck."

"Isn't luck the same thing as Bonaparte's fate?" Des Lupeaulx said. "There were twenty generals ahead of him to command the armies of Italy, just as there are a hundred young men right now who would love to enter Mademoiselle des Touches' house."

Lucien falls into the trap set by his journalist colleagues and soon exhibits all the traits of an ingenuous ambitious person, including false modesty.

"Are you free?" asked Michel. "As free as one can be when indispensable," replied Lucien with false modesty.

Convinced of his indispensability as a journalist, he digs his own grave.

The poet was convinced, rightly so, that his beauty and intelligence would be revalued by the name and title of Count of Rubempré. Madame d'Espard, Madame de Bargeton, and Madame de Montcornet held him like a child holds a bumblebee by its wings. Lucien only flew within a specific circle.

The Fall of Lucien and His Illusions

Lucien's fall and the acceleration of his disillusionments come from his naïveté combined with a fatalistic view of life. His change of allegiance is very poorly received by the journalistic world to which he belongs. His old friends and acquaintances do not hesitate to attack him fiercely, and his new colleagues cannot stand him.

Soon, Lucien finds himself completely discredited in the field, penniless, and the disgrace of his family.

Lucien believed in his future, trusting in these deep axioms of Blondet:

"At the end, everything will work out." "Nothing is lost by those who have nothing." "We have nothing to lose except the stroke of luck we are waiting for." "Those who go with the flow always get somewhere." "A smart man entering the great world makes his fortune whenever he wants."

Lucien descends: his companion dies, he loses his money, and loses the esteem of his colleagues from the circle, the liberal journalists, and those from the Government. He goes through several regrets, alternating with new illusions created in an attempt to recover from the disillusionments. He returns to Angoulême, where he meets his family, regrets repeatedly, and contemplates suicide.

When his friend D'Arthez writes to Eve, Lucien's sister, to ask about him, she tells him:

"He lacks willpower and doesn't have the strength to resist the temptations of pleasure and the satisfaction of even the smallest ambitions. Lazy like all poets, he believes he's skilled because he avoids difficulties instead of overcoming them. Today he may have courage, tomorrow he may be a villain. So it is impossible to praise him for his courage or reprimand him for cowardice. Lucien is a harp whose strings tighten and loosen depending on the variations in the atmosphere. He is capable of writing a good book in a moment of rage or happiness and becoming indifferent to success after having desired it so much."

D'Arthez recognizes the world of Lucien as a construction of his mind: illusions, disillusionments, and regrets.

"I consider periodic repentance a great hypocrisy," D'Arthez said solemnly. "Repentance in such cases is just a reward granted to bad actions. Repentance is a virginity that our soul must offer to God: a man who repents twice is, therefore, a despicable sycophant."

A Cinematic Example

Truman Capote

Capote Director: Bennett Miller Year: 2005

As a typical Social 2, we observe a man with a well-groomed appearance, elegant, modern, and somewhat carefree. He looks straight ahead and surveys those who listen to him. We meet him at a party, surrounded by his entourage, in an open, intellectual, and avant-garde atmosphere. It’s inevitable to see the resemblance to Oscar Wilde, albeit in a different era. With his varied conversation, sharp wit, and quick humor, he is the center of attention. Wildly honest in what he says, he is simultaneously so approachable and playful that one feels privileged to be in his circle of friends. Here are his credentials: "I’m honest when it comes to what I write. If it’s autobiographical or related to me, no. At this stage in my life, I find autobiographical novels really boring."

He suddenly switches to another topic, and his comments are direct:

"I had lunch the other day with J.B. and he told me the plot of his new book. He said, 'I just want to make sure it’s not a problematic novel.' And I said, 'Your novel is about a black homosexual who falls in love with a Jew. Don’t you think that’s problematic?'"

One day, while reading the newspaper, he comes across the news that an entire family has been brutally and mercilessly murdered in a small town in Kansas. Truman, opportunistic and sharp, realizes the potential of the story. At that moment, and even though he doesn’t know it yet, he is creating a new literary style: the documentary novel.

Capote hastily heads to cover the news, accompanied by Nelle Harper, his best friend and future author of To Kill a Mockingbird. He is slowly embarking on an epic project that will take five years, culminating in his masterpiece In Cold Blood, which will make Capote the most famous writer in the U.S.

Truman meets Nelle on a train to Kansas. A young black conductor enters and congratulates him on his latest novel. His friend realizes, from the overly affected compliment, that Capote must have paid him to do it. Instead of defending himself, he smiles at his friend’s sharpness. This scene illustrates the relentless search for recognition that the excessive social type doesn’t hesitate to resort to tricks.

When he arrives in the small town where the murders took place, Capote goes to meet the case inspector, hoping for favorable treatment. However, he quickly realizes that neither his fame nor his well-groomed appearance will help him gain any sympathy or information, leaving him without resources. It will be his friend Nelle who wins the trust of the locals.

Truman has no qualms about entering the mortuary and secretly opening the coffins of the family to view the bodies. Thanks to his friend, he manages to speak with the girl who had found the family dead. From this moment on, Truman begins forming alliances using his closeness, familiarity, and emotionality, creating trust in his person so that what seems like a casual conversation turns into a flow of information that he will later transcribe. The girl even hands him the diary of the murdered family’s daughter.

Since he sets out to uncover the story, Truman, as a social type, dissociates himself from emotion, either his own or others', manipulating those he interacts with to fulfill his purpose.

One night, back at the hotel, he tells Nelle that he can retain 94 percent of what he hears. This is a characteristic of control very typical of the social type (along with the typical boasting).

That same night, Truman has a phone conversation with his partner, Jack, and, feeling disheartened, tells him he’s not achieving his goal: "You know, normal life fades away. Well, normal life has never been my thing. The people here don’t want to talk to me. They like people like you. They think I’m awful."

His seductive strategies do not work here. He cannot understand the townspeople, and therefore cannot empathize with them. His carefully curated appearance is not adaptive in this environment. He feels out of place and without resources. He is aware that, in some way, he is failing, but he deflects his inability by despising the townspeople for their excessive normality.

One evening, Nelle and he go to dinner at the inspector’s house, taking advantage of the fact that the inspector’s wife admires him as a writer. Capote showcases his charming conversation, telling Hollywood gossip and then moving to touch their hearts with a heartfelt personal story about his mother’s death and how his father used to say, "Speak. Tell me anything. You talk so I don’t fall apart." This kind of expression is commonly heard by Social 2s when their parents deny their child’s emotions while asking them to take care of their own.

Once he finishes his story, he coldly and mechanically moves on to the event in the town, taking another step forward in his investigation: the inspector shows him crime scene photos.

We see Truman in different scenes where his social type character is again evident. His posture is elegant and seemingly relaxed. There is a theatricality to his gestures and the way he tells things, knowing how to introduce emotional elements without being overwhelming, to create an emotional impact on others. He knows what to say to get the

other person to open up and trust him, creating a false intimacy. This is one of the ways the social type betrays others, just as he was betrayed.

In one scene, Capote is speaking with his partner, who complains that he hasn’t seen him in a long time. Truman promises a trip together to the Costa Brava. It is very typical of this character to leave their partner aside, prioritizing their professional world and the false, grand promises they are unlikely to fulfill.

The two murderers have been arrested. By the time they bring them to the county courthouse, Truman has already gained, through gifts and flattery, the trust of the sheriff’s wife, which gives him access to Perry Smith’s cell, one of the murderers. He realizes that the story deserves more than just an article and calls the director of The New York Times, convincing him to let him stay longer.

Perry and his accomplice are found guilty and sentenced to death, so they will be transferred to Kansas. By then, Truman has already befriended Perry and asks him to put him on his visiting list, while he will seek a lawyer for their appeal. In this way, he creates a debt in this man that he will collect sooner or later.

In New York, Truman tells a journalist about his new book:

"There are two worlds in this country: one of quiet, conservative life and one of the underworld, violent crime. And those two worlds crossed that bloody night." It’s as if he is describing the two polarities that exist within him. Gradually, Truman realizes that there are many things that bind him to the murderer, and that it is sometimes just a matter of luck which side you end up on.

At a party, Nelle and Jack laugh about their friend:

"Truman, in love with Truman," watching him strut around, talking to everyone. At one point, his grandiosity and fragile self-esteem resurface: "I’m destined to write that book... Well, I’d also like to keep them alive because I need them to tell me the story of what happened that night..." Jack says a very telling phrase: "Be careful what you do to get what you want," warning him about the limits he often crosses to satisfy his ambition.

Truman bribes the prison warden for unlimited access to Smith and his accomplice Hickock. When he discovers that Perry is on a hunger strike, he seems to feel pity, though what he likely wants is to continue using his false generosity, creating a debt in Perry to get his story. To do so, he lovingly feeds him baby food.

In this relationship, he begins discovering the person behind the murderer. Truman continues to use false intimacy, telling Perry a difficult story from his childhood to continue

winning his trust. He even tells him that, deep down, they are not so different, trying to create a horizontal and "brotherly" relationship, a recurring aspect in the Social 2.

Before leaving the cell, he manipulates him and sets the first price for his "friendship." He wants to take Perry’s notebooks, telling him: "If I leave here without understanding what happened, the rest of the world will see you as a monster, and I don’t want that." He is sublimating his intentions and making a show of being the only one Perry can trust to save him from death.

Truman has a conversation with Nelle, who expresses some concern about how he is using Perry. She tells him he is not respecting him as a person, and Truman not only ignores this comment but cannot see beyond his goal and the recognition it will give him: "Every time I think about how good my book is going to be, I’m left breathless."

Truman returns to the cell to tell Perry he is leaving for a while. Perry tells him he hopes the book will help reduce his sentence. Taking advantage of his hope, Capote tries again to get him to recount what happened the night of the murders. He pressures him from his position of superiority, arguing the "favor" he is doing by being with him: "I have invitations to go to Morocco, Greece... and I’d rather be here with you." He lies without the slightest remorse, and as he leaves, he seduces him again, showing a false and empty closeness: "I already miss you. Write to me every five minutes."

Truman goes to Costa Brava, where he and Jack have rented a house. Shawn, the director of The New York Times, calls him, thrilled with the drafts of In Cold Blood he has sent. Truman laments that he cannot finish the book until Perry tells him exactly what happened the night of the murders.

Nelle comes to see them, bringing a letter from Perry. Both she and Jack quietly witness the coldness Truman shows toward Perry’s laments and requests. From one of his comments, it seems that the murderer and he are two sides of the same coin:

"It’s like Perry and I grew up in the same house, and one day he left through the back door, and I went out the front."

Back in Kansas, Truman continues to lie to Perry when he asks to see the book, telling him he hasn’t written anything yet, when in reality, he only needs the ending. It’s the constant spectacle of one of the specialties of the Social 2 when betraying others: lying.

Truman returns to New York for the presentation of In Cold Blood. Astonished, the packed theater audience listens as Truman recounts two chapters of a story full of terrifying images due to its realism. When he finishes, he receives a warm ovation. Shawn tells Truman that the book will not only change the way people view his work but also the way others write.

It is common for the social type to take risks, being innovative and transgressive, which makes them unique and creative in the tasks they undertake.

Perry tells Truman that, thanks to him, they have been granted a stay of execution. In response to his reluctance to talk about the crime, Capote brings out his cruelty and reveals his true intentions: "There is no word, phrase, or concept that you can explain to me. The only reason I keep coming here is for the night of the murders; that’s the only thing I want you to tell me. When you decide to tell me, let me know. Until then, I won’t come back."

Perry has Truman brought back. He is angry because he has seen the news about the New York In Cold Blood presentation. Truman blatantly lies to him, without the slightest scruple, telling him that what the Times says is a lie. He then again appeals to their friendship, without us knowing if it’s real or if he’s simply using his flattery strategy again:

"I couldn’t pretend to be your friend because the truth is I couldn’t avoid being one."

Truman gives him photos of Perry as a child, which his sister had given him when he visited her, lying to him once again about her feelings toward him. Perry finally softens and tells him what happened that fateful night. Initially, they had no intention of killing anyone, but that’s how it ended up, and he was the only one who shot, killing all the family members. Perry admits that he is deeply ashamed but also that he acted without the slightest mercy, just like Truman.

Finally, the novel is finished, but Truman needs the execution to happen, which continues to be delayed. We see him on the phone in a totally tragic and selfish manner: "This is agonizing. All I need is to finish the novel."

Perry continues to ask for help from what he considers his friend. Truman lies to him in writing, completely disengaging from him. Nelle has distanced herself from Capote due to his coldness on this subject. She, on her part, has published her book, which has been very well received, and the movie adaptation To Kill a Mockingbird premieres. At the premiere party, she sees him sitting alone, hunched over, drinking a glass of wine. Truman doesn’t congratulate his friend for her success, muttering disdainfully to himself that it’s not such a big deal, focusing on his complaints. He is his own universe, and nothing else matters. "I might never recover from this... They’re torturing me."

Truman is increasingly depressed until Perry calls him to tell him that the appeal has been rejected. Capote is unable to say a word. From this point on, he seems to be in shock, refusing to see Perry to say goodbye, or to speak to anyone, or get out of bed. Until Nelle brings him a letter from Perry, and the writer decides to make one final visit. It becomes evident how destabilized he is by contact with suffering and the emptiness he feels. As a

good social type, he hides from the gaze of others, retreating until the situation changes or passes.

He enters where the two condemned men are waiting for him, already dressed for the gallows, with his head bowed and on the defensive. The two men laugh, telling him they understand why he didn’t want to visit them. Truman seems genuinely affected and tries to justify his actions: "Maybe I didn’t do enough."

Perry asks him to go to the execution to see a friendly face, and Truman agrees. Then, he returns to his complaint, without referring to his "friend’s" fatal destiny: "It’s been a terrible experience, I think I’ll never recover."

When he tries to absolve himself from the guilt: "No one could have done anything for them," Nelle replies: "The fact is, you didn’t want to."

Truman Capote never wrote another book.