The most dangerous people - who are convinced of their moral superiority | Dr. Liraz Margalit

Dr. Liraz Margalit analyzes the psychological mechanism that allows the creators of the film "Nez"a" to act against Israel out of a sense of moral superiority. She argues that a traitor almost never feels like a traitor, but rather as someone representing a higher truth and justice. The article is based on a 2021 academic study and a 2025 replication study, linking the presentation of moral victimhood to the "Dark Triad" traits – narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.

In this opinion column, Dr. Liraz Margalit analyzes the psychological mechanism that allows a person to act against the group to which he belongs and still feel that he represents the good. She refers to the film "Nez"a" (Collateral Damage) by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shor, which won a special award at the Venice Film Festival and is based on anonymous testimonies of Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel. Margalit argues that the film's creators are so convinced of their moral superiority that they believe they do not need to ask who will benefit from their messages and who will be harmed. She cites a 2021 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, titled "Signaling Virtuous Victimhood," and a 2025 replication study, which found a link between the presentation of moral victimhood and the "Dark Triad" traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. According to her, once a person is convinced that he represents justice, he stops examining himself, a moral split occurs in which the mother group is painted black and the external group white, and complexity disappears. She distinguishes between criticism aimed at fixing the home and creating an indictment against it while its soldiers are still fighting, and determines that the most dangerous people are those so convinced of their moral superiority that they believe the rules do not apply to them.