Kofi Annan: His needs, satisfiers and ego defense mechanisms

University of Cape Town – Social Development – SWK1004S Assignment 1

Introduction

This essay will analyse a famous person in terms of concepts learnt during the SWK Basic Professional Interaction course at UCT. The two fields of study that will be focused on are Max-Neef’s human scale development (HSD) theory and the theory of ego defence mechanisms which has its origins in psychodynamic theory. In the first part of the essay, a biography will be given of the famous person, Kofi Annan, which will focus on events in his life that will be analysed in the essay. In the second part of the essay, an explanation of the theoretical principles and a background to each theory will be given before putting the theories to use. Each theory takes a different perspective on Kofi Annan and his environment. HSD is primarily concerned with identifying needs and how the environment satisfies those needs. Modern defence mechanism theory explains how the ego deals with conflicts between instinctual desires, morality, interpersonal relationships, and dramatic changes of reality.

Biography

Kofi Atta Annan, born in Kumasi, Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1938, is an international civil servant, most famous for his involvement with the United Nations (UN) as Secretary-General. He has spent his life in civil service, occupying several positions in the UN during his career. Annan grew up as a child in a country fighting for independence, and witnessed the first democratic elections that brought Ghana under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah.

Annan’s experiences in Ghana thus heavily influenced his interest in politics, development and his commitment to bringing development to Africa. During his schooling years, Annan engaged in debates with other students about the future of Ghana, taking the side against the nationalists as a democrat. In university, Annan joined the National Union of Ghanaian Students, which offered many opportunities. As vice-president, Annan was identified during a conference in Sierra Leone for his leadership potential and was offered an opportunity to study in the United States. This led to a scholarship-funded enrolment at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics. After spending some time at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Annan’s career began at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1962.

The desire to make a contribution to Africa’s future is a persistent theme in Annan’s career and life. Following a rejection of a post in Nigeria due to the prospect of being treated as a local employee, Annan’s first move back from the US was in 1965, when he joined the UN Economic Commission for Africa. During a sabbatical leave, he returned to the US to complete a master’s degree in management and, upon completion, continued to work for the UN in Geneva. Annan continued to seek an opportunity to go back to Africa, and found one when he took up a post in 1974 as a manager of the Ghana Tourist Development Company within the Ministry of Tourism. The country that he returned to was, however, now characterised by military rule, bureaucratic inefficiency and corruption. The work ethic and cumbersome decision making frustrated Annan, who “saw little possibility of advancing the kind of change that was so necessary to Ghana’s – and Africa’s – progress” (Annan, 2012, p 27).

Annan then proceeded to serve the UN in various capacities, for the UN Emergency Force in Ismailia, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva and in various senior posts in New York dealing with human resources, budget, finance, staff security and peacekeeping operations. While he served as Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, he witnessed the civil war in Somalia, the Rwandan genocide, and the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Kofi Annan has been criticized for the performance of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations during the Rwandan genocide. I outline here the course of events and external factors which may have proved difficult to control as an Under-Secretary-General. The UN took little action in Rwanda due to a lack of support from member countries, which resulted in a cautious attitude towards local troops that outnumbered them. Although the 1993 ceasefire between the predominantly Tutsi Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) and the Hutu-dominated government was backed by a peacekeeping agreement, the Security Council, especially the United States, were reluctant to send troops in to Rwanda and discouraged anything more than traditional peacekeeping (a non-offensive style based on the presence of UN troops with no open fire). When a few Belgian troops of the UN Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) were killed by the ruling party in April 1994, Belgian withdrawal was swift and soon afterwards the peacekeeping mission was voted out by the Security Council. With no UN presence, the international community watched the RPF-driven genocide take place. A second resolution (UNAMIR II) indicated international concern, but was not met with support from any country in the form of troops until August, when the bloodshed was clearly over.

In contrast to the Rwandan genocide, Annan distinguished himself by facilitating the transition of UN to NATO forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina during their civil war, and by facilitating the repatriation of more than 900 international staff from Iraq in 1990.

Directly following his appointment as Under-Secretary-General, Annan served two 5-year terms as Secretary-General of the United Nations, from 1997-2006. In that post, he advocated for human rights, the rule of law, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Africa and the fight against disease. He created initiatives such as the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, adopted the UN’s first counter-terrorism strategy, convinced member countries to recognize their responsibility to protect other nations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing (a sentiment that was not present during, for example, the Rwandan genocide), and undertook a comprehensive program of institutional reform. He constantly strove to bring the organisation closer to the public by forging ties with civil society and the corporate sector.

Annan was jointly awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2001 in recognition for his work and has received many honorary degrees and awards. After his retirement from the position of Secretary-General, he has continued to play a role in international humanitarian issues, the most recent being his failed attempt to mediate a peace agreement in Syria. Nevertheless, he is a highly skilled mediator and holds a position of status that has considerable influence on politicians and rebel group leaders alike.

Human Scale Development

HSD theory gives a new paradigm on human development that focuses on human needs and is more suited to developing countries than traditional economic growth-focused developmental theories were. The primary thesis is that development cannot occur without economic growth, but economic growth does not necessarily lead to development. Thus, human needs, and how to satisfy them, should be the focus of any development policy. In contrast to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, Max-Neef, et al. (1991) postulates that human needs do not fall into a hierarchy and are finite and classifiable. Differences across space (nations, regions, communities) and historical time is the result of the way that those needs are satisfied. Satisfiers define a culture, and their effectiveness relies on the strength of the economy. For example, needs can be satisfied more synergistically and effectively in a developed country with more resources than in a developing country with fewer resources. Needs can be classified axiologically into nine categories: subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, idleness, creation, identity and freedom; and existentially into four categories: being, having, doing and interacting. The two categories combine to form a matrix of needs. There are different types of satisfiers according to how they inhibit or facilitate the satisfaction of other needs – ranging from destructors, pseudo-satisfiers and inhibiting satisfiers to singular satisfiers and synergic satisfiers.

Needs

Although Max-Neef’s model can be used to think about the satisfiers in a nation, region or community, I have used it here to think about how a single person’s needs have been satisfied. Below, I have outlined some of Kofi Annan’s needs that I have identified, and the satisfier that relates to it.

		Existential categories
		Being	Having	Doing	Interacting
Axiological categories	Participation		A job in UN; involvement in international affairs post-resignation	Having opinions about how the UN should be run	Discussing international affairs within the UN and with the international community; being a mediator in conflict settings across the world
	Identity	A commitment to human rights issues, peace and security	Multiple awards, honorary degrees and the university education that he got as a young adult; offices that he has held during his career	His status has influence such that he is able to negotiate with politicians	His schedule is spread out across many different countries
	Understanding	Interested in politics – in debates at school he took the side of the democrats	A dearth of literature that he written in communication.	A bachelor’s degree in economics; training at the Graduate Institute of International Studies; a master’s degree in management.	Annan often mediated between countries and leaders in conflict.
	Protection		He is escorted by security personnel when in a dangerous area.	His work focuses on securing protection for vulnerable and war- affected people.
	Creation	Passion, determination, autonomy		As Secretary-General, Annan put in place initiatives such as the UN Global Compact to promote corporate social development; created the Global Fund; advocated the MDGs; established two new intergovernmental bodies: the Peacebuilding commission and the Human Rights Council; created the UN’s first counter-terrorism strategy	The audiences who listen to his speeches
	Affection	Self-esteem and determination	Annan was married to his first wife, Titi Alakija, for at least a decade and had two children with her. He is now married to his second wife, Nane Lagergren.

Types of satisfiers:

Here, I define satisfiers according to the degree to which they inhibit or promote the satisfaction of other needs

Pseudo-satisfiers

Satisfier	Need which it seemingly satisfies
Peacekeeping operations	Protection

Inhibiting satisfiers

Satisfier	Need	Needs, the satisfaction of which are inhibited
Being escorted by security when in a dangerous area	Protection	Affection, freedom, identity

Singular satisfiers

Satisfier	Need that it satisfies
His work focuses on securing protection for vulnerable and war-affected people	Protection

Synergic Satisfiers

Satisfier	Need	Needs, the satisfaction of which are stimulated
A job at the UN	Participation	Identity, creation, protection
Having opinions about how the UN should be run	Participation	Understanding, freedom
His status has influence such that he is able to negotiate with politicians	Identity	Participation

Defence Mechanisms

The modern theory of defence mechanisms focuses on the interaction of the ego with four sources of conflict – interpersonal relationships, conscience, id (desire) and dramatic changes of external reality.

Figure 1: Sources of conflict which act on the ego.

Source: Vaillant (1993, p. 29)

The ego is that part of the mind which interprets and synthesises internal and external reality in a way which is adaptive. The term ‘defence mechanisms’ refers to the strategies that the ego comes up with in order to cope with stressors. Vaillant (1993) believes that defence mechanisms are subconscious by nature, due to the unacceptable forms in which they exist. Even though some defence mechanisms, such as denial or passive aggression, do not lead to a healthy adaption, most of the time they are a natural and healthy part of everyday life – a coping strategy that can be employed if other coping strategies are not feasible. (Other coping strategies include social support and cognitive restructuring.) By adjusting our perception of reality, defence mechanisms help us around obstacles that would otherwise induce anxiety. An example can be seen with the ability of people on a rollercoaster ride to suppress their fear of heights and channel that energy into the feeling of enjoyment, or with the apparent calmness with which famous American test pilot Chuck Yeager was able to carry out his job (Vaillant, 1993). Defence mechanisms are only pathological in extreme cases, when the perception of reality is distorted to such an extent that the person develops a specific disorder. There are many different taxonomies of defence mechanisms, however I will refer to the most commonly agreed upon types which occur within a delineation of Mature, Immature, Neurotic or Psychotic. Only the latter three can lead to specific diseases, although they can, over time, transform into more mature forms of defence. The ego continues to develop throughout one’s life – below I have listed in order the possible stages that Annan could have gone through in his life thus far.

Altruism (Mature)

Altruism is the giving of the self for others, with a corresponding feeling of gratification for doing so. This type of defence mechanism is similar to, and can be preceded by reaction formation (the transformation of an unacceptable impulse into its opposite). Like altruism, in reaction formation the user projects what they desire onto an object. However, altruism is characterised by a feeling of gratification, whereas reaction formation causes a feeling of distress if the desire is acted upon. Altruism can also be compared with the immature defence projection, which also involves a projection of one’s self onto an object. In projection, the subject incorrectly attributes one’s faults with the object, whereas in altruism the subject correctly attributes one’s needs with the object. Annan utilizes altruism in reaction to the underdeveloped state of Ghana and Africa. He attributes his needs with the well-being of others and thus leads a life of self-sacrifice sacrifice in order to promote human rights, the millennium development goals, international peace and elimination of HIV/AIDS. He is also keen for others to take up an altruistic role, evident in is his “Global Compact” initiative, the “world’s largest effort to promote corporate social responsibility” (United Nations, 2014).

Rationalization (Neurotic)

Rationalization is a logical or socially acceptable reason that is given for our actions. It eases disappointment and provides an acceptable motive for our behaviour (SWK1004S lecture notes). The rationalization behind Annan’s decision about which nation(s) to serve is shaped by his experiences while working for the Ghana Tourist Company. The situation that he found in Ghana was frustrating to him and presented a conflict between his desire to serve the country he was born in and the reality that progress in Ghana would be slow and ineffective due to corruption, bureaucracy and military rule. His thoughts about this are as follows:

“In my own case, faced with forces I could not change, I reluctantly concluded that I would have to pursue my career outside my home country. My experience in Ghana reinforced my commitment to serving an international organization, which I knew my country – and others in the developing world – would rely on for support and advice. I realized that, for me, working for the UN was the best way to serve my country and my continent. The United Nations would from then on become my home.”

(Annan, 2012, p. 27)

From this excerpt we can clearly see how Annan is unconsciously pulling away from his desire to serve Ghana, but rationalizing it in a way that lets him believe that, by working for an international organization, he is still able to keep the best interests of Ghana at heart.

Idealization (Immature)

Idealization is when a person perceives something as perfect and entirely good. Annan idealizes the United Nations somewhat, believing that it holds the best solutions to international humanitarian issues. This is evident from his lifelong commitment to the organization and his belief that peacekeeping operations are effective. The United Nations has many shortfalls, most notably the bureaucratic and complicated structure of the organisation which prevents decisions from being made quickly and is characterised by conflict about overlaps in the functions of various subsidiaries. Secondly, the belief in peacekeeping is intrinsically an idealized belief. Peacekeeping operations rely on the notion that the country at risk of conflict respects the good intentions of the United Nations. More often than not, peacekeeping does not involve open combat and troops merely station themselves in order to make their presence felt. The theory is that their presence will deter conflict, although often the low numbers and lack of an emergency reserve undermines the intimidation of the UN. The operations that the UN peacekeeping operations carry out include the delivery of aid parcels the control of resources and protection of released prisoners of war. Evidently, these routine tasks (which do not create sustainable solutions in themselves) require idealization for the people involved to feel motivated to carry on with their job. Having said that Annan idealizes the UN, it is not a pervasive theme throughout his life, as he drove a process of institutional reform during his appointment as Secretary-General.

Distortion (Psychotic)

Distortion occurs when the ego alters one’s perception of reality in order to give a misleading account, and is employed in order to resolve a conflict within the mind. It is different to delusional projection in that it is more akin to the manic phase of bipolar disorder, whereas delusion results in depression. The conflict between the reality of civil war and the desire to put an end to it is bound to require an adjustment of perception by the ego. As a high-ranking official within the United Nations, Annan required a belief that his work was worthwhile, even when faced with the so-called “crisis in UN peacekeeping” during 1992-1995. Annan required an adaptive ego to deal with the interpersonal relationships, realities and issues of morality when in the UN headquarters. Defence mechanisms were clearly needed to avoid anxiety about the repercussions of his decisions, which have an effect on such a large scale, on so many people’s lives. Numerous sources of conflict can be identified during these years, such as the unwillingness of the United States and other member countries to risk their troops in peacekeeping missions (people), calls from commentators to do something about the violence taking place (people), the fact that UN troops are sometimes unlikely to be able to employ an effective peacekeeping / peace enforcement strategy and prevent situations  from getting out of control (reality), and the fact that innocent civilians are being harmed on the basis of race or political affiliation, and are affected by his decisions (conscience). Thus, the defence mechanism of distortion is employed by Annan in order to cope with these conflicting sources of input.

Conclusion

Kofi Annan has played an instrumental role in the international community. His career at the United Nations was challenging at times and required adaption in order to cope with the demands faced by him. Annan has managed to have many of his needs met through the work he does. Altruism has impacted on his life synergistically and has given him satisfaction and drive. His socialisation as a young man in a developing country prepared him for a life of civil service in which he has been passionate and skilful. Despite the challenges that the UN has faced under Annan’s leadership, as a Secretary-General he has distinguished himself and he stands out from his predecessors.

August 2014

Bibliography

Annan, K. (2012). Interventions: A life in war and peace. London: Penguin Books.

Annan, Kofi. (2009). Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica 2009 Deluxe Edition.  Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica.

Defense Mechanisms. (n.d.). [SWK1004S lecture notes] Department of Social Development, University of Cape Town. Retrieved August 23, 2014:

https://vula.uct.ac.za/access/content/group/56fb8e2b-fe5a-4283-8de8-4f611a5a5815/Thulane_s%20section/DEFENSE%20MECHANISMS%20HANDOUT.pdf [secure server]

Max-Neef, M. (1991). Human scale development: Conception, application and further reflection. New York: Apex Press.

United Nations. (2014). Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. Retrieved August 22, 2014, from United Nations:

http://www.un.org/sg/formersg/annan.shtml

Vaillant, G.E. (1993). The Wisdom of the Ego. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.