Mass formation is, in essence, a kind of group hypnosis that destroys individuals' self awareness and robs them of their ability to think critically

Thank you to Charles Burris at Lew Rockwell.  

Dictatorships are based on a primitive Psychological mechanism, namely on the creation of a climate of fear amongst the population based on the brutal potential of the dictatorial regime.  Totalitarianism, on the other hand, has its roots in the Insidious psychological process of mass formation.  Mass formation is, in essence, a kind of group hypnosis that destroys individuals' self-awareness and robs them of their ability to think critically. 

Toward the end of the interview, Desmet says this,

The point of gravity in totalitarianism is not situated in the elite, it's situated in the masses and it's situated in the ideology. 

Which reminded me of the importance of rhetoric and the example of Julius Caesar and modern-day politicians, like Boris Johnson and others.  Gaslighting the public is their ideology. 

The Psychology of Totalitarianism, Mattias Desmet, 2022. 

Other books referenced in this interview. 

The Crowd and the Psychology of Revolution, Gustave Le Bon, 2015.