Every psychotherapist is familiar with a kind of patient who is hiding behind the wall of himself. From behind his barricades, the client sends out probes, engages in attacks, briefly lowers his defenses for a look around and then quickly heads back for cover. To its detriment, our society has modeled much of public life after a form of neurosis.
Politicians often develop a fortress mentality, particularly when they are in public.
They are constantly manning their fortifications and monitoring their performance. Hiding behind the wall of themselves, they want to strike out at their accusers but must keep the desire contained when on stage, along with all the other true feelings of the secret self. They withdraw for much the same reason that many individuals who seek psychotherapy withdraw - fear of attack. The difference is that the politician's fears may be more instrumental than irrational. In public life, every error can become a focus of media attention and a weapon used to discredit politicians.