Right-Wing Authoritarianism
Note: This is an excerpt from The Architect: Authoritarianism, the Political Mind, and a Blueprint for a Better Democracy which is available on Amazon.com
My day usually begins by reading the Associated Press News, Robert Reich, and Heather Cox Richardson. In today’s “Letters from an American,” Heather’s post is especially salient. If you hvaen’t read it, I encourage you to do so — and to sign up for a free or paid subscription.
Heather’s writing this morning touches on two topics my book covers in- depth: Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). I think they get to the neurological, biological, psychological, and sociological “heart” of Trump, MAGA, and Republican members of Congress.
While Eric Hoffer described the societal conditions necessary for fascism to take hold, there’s more to discover. Bob Altemeyer identified rightwing authoritarianism (RWA) as a critical personality construct to explain a batch of attitudes and behaviors commonly found in authoritarian personalities. Researchers define RWA on the basis of three key attitudinal clusters: authoritarian submission, authoritarian aggression, and conventionalism.
Authoritarian submission involves a high degree of compliance with the established, legitimate authorities in society.
Authoritarian aggression indicates a general aggressiveness toward various people and groups that established authorities sanction (e.g., out-groups, those who challenge the status quo).
Conventionalism describes a strong adherence to the social conventions and traditions that society’s established authorities endorse.
Individuals high in RWA tend to see the world as a dangerous place, and primarily value security and order. They are often characterized by a strong in-group loyalty, a distrust of out-groups, a preference for clear rules and strong leadership, and a punitive attitude toward those who deviate from societal norms.
Researchers extensively discuss how RWA correlates with ethnocentrism, prejudice, and a preference for strong, decisive leaders, especially during times of perceived threat or societal upheaval. Moderno et al. have additional insights, though you get the gist.
Further, Sidanius & Prato identified social dominance orientation as another critical personality dimension that reflects an individual’s general desire for group-based hierarchy and a preference for the dominance of “superior” groups over “inferior” ones.
Researchers often characterize individuals high in SDO by a tough-minded, competitive, and less agreeable disposition, and they tend to endorse policies that reinforce social hierarchies, such as those related to immigration control, military spending, and punitive justice.
Key aspects of SDO feature group-based hierarchy, a belief that some groups are inherently better than others and should occupy a higher status in society. People with a high social dominance orientation are anti-egalitarian and reject policies (e.g., DEI, immigration, voting rights) or social structures that promote equality among groups.
They also believe in competitive intergroup relations, as they view relations between groups as a zero-sum game, where one group’s gain is another’s loss. For individuals high in SDO, society is like a mountain with a clear peak. They naturally believe some groups belong at the top, holding power and resources, while others are lower down.
Their political efforts are often directed at reinforcing this natural hierarchy, ensuring their own group remains dominant, and resisting any efforts to flatten the mountain or redistribute status. Not surprisingly, SDO is strongly correlated with prejudice, ethnocentrism, sexism, and opposition to policies that aim to reduce social inequality.
Moreover, researchers consistently link SDO to conservative political ideologies, particularly those that emphasize group-based inequality and nationalism.
BTW, 100% of the proceeds from “The Architect” go to the Riverside County (CA) Democratic Party to register and mobilize voters and recruit and train candidates.