Benazir Bhutto with son Bilawal in England in 1999. (Reuters)

New Delhi, Dec. 30: Bilawal Bhutto, 19, has lost his grandfather, an uncle and now his mother to the violent chaos of Pakistan politics.

Yet the college student, who till the other day was ruing his lost ambition to become a cricketer, today agreed to don the mantle of Benazir Bhutto’s political successor —well aware that this single act could put his life in immediate danger.

What is it that spurs so many South Asian leaders and members of political dynasties to ignore threats to their lives and, sometimes, virtually embrace martyrdom?

The secret may lie in an element of bravado, the tug of the masses, and grand visions of steering their nations towards glory, behavioural scientists say.

Bhutto has now joined the league of slain subcontinental leaders. Others remain active in politics, knowing they may meet grisly ends.

“It’s difficult to pinpoint specific factors that motivate such leaders, but it could be a combination of risk-taking traits, grand dreams, and pressure from the people,” said Sibnath Deb, a behavioural scientist at the department of applied psychology, Calcutta University.

“Such leaders are likely to have a deep conviction that they’re doing something for society. They also cannot ignore the expectations of the masses,” Deb said.

Bhutto’s father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged by Zia-ul Haq’s military regime in 1979, and her brother Murtaza was shot dead in 1996. She had narrowly survived a suicide bombing in October that killed 140 people.

But South Asia has a long list of such leaders. Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the leader of Sri Lanka after the murder of her husband Solomon; Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister after mother Indira was slain, and Sheikh Hasina — daughter of the assassinated Mujibur Rahman — rose to lead Bangladesh.

Now Rahul Gandhi, who like Bilawal has lost a grandparent and a parent to political violence, is being groomed to lead the Congress and the country.

Some experts believe that political charisma in some leaders comes with an element of bravado.

“Risk-taking behaviour is part of such leaders’ innate personality,” said Rajendra Barve, president of the Bombay Psychiatric Society.

Social scientists say that cultural factors — specifically the concept of destiny — may also influence leaders to remain active in the face of threats.

The pressure from party workers and the public can be overpowering. “It’s difficult to pull away from the desire of the people,” Deb said.

Psychologists, drawing on traditional theories of the human mind, attribute the drive to pursue political goals ignoring threats to one’s life also to “power motivation” — a non-conscious desire to acquire status and have an impact on others.

“We see this kind of behaviour when power motivation dominates the personality,” said K. Velusami Kaliappan, a clinical psychologist in Chennai and former president of the Indian Association of Applied Psychology.

But it’s usually a mix of several factors — a personality that is open to risk-taking as well as the lure of power, Kaliappan said.