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Identification with the Aggressor

When you can't beat them, your brain does something strange: it joins them. Not out of agreement — out of survival.

Identification with the aggressor is a psychological defence mechanism where people align themselves with those who hold power over them. It's not a conscious choice. It's your brain calculating that it's safer to be on the side of the strong than to stand with the vulnerable — because standing with the vulnerable means admitting that you, too, are vulnerable.

This explains something that otherwise makes no sense: why do people with little power defend systems and individuals that exploit them? Why do workers idolise CEOs who cut their benefits? Why do citizens cheer for billionaires who pay less tax than they do? It's not logic. It's psychological self-preservation. If you identify with the powerful, you get to feel powerful by association. If you identify with the powerless, you have to face your own precariousness.

The mechanism runs deep. People don't just tolerate the powerful — they begin to adopt their worldview, repeat their talking points, and attack anyone who challenges them. It looks like loyalty. It feels like conviction. But underneath, it's fear wearing a mask of strength.

When you find yourself passionately defending someone who would never defend you, it's worth asking: whose interests am I actually protecting?

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