Fragile Power

When an abused child, a rejected adolescent, or a humiliated man is finally able to deny his desire for acceptance and love, he can become . . . a man obsessed with power and the abuser of others.  

He may be relatively secure only when in a position to dominate or humiliate someone else, which gives him a false and fragile sense of superiority. Lack of self-worth and experiences of devaluation, rejection, or abuse in childhood, coupled with a desire for revenge, make people prone to become like [this]. (Bolen, 1999, p. 26) 

From Brewster, M.P. (2003). Journal of Family Violence, 18(4), 207-217.