In a democracy, a wannabe tyrant is just a comical figure on a soapbox unless a huge wave of supporters lifts him to high office. Bob Altmeyer Much has been written about autocrats and despots. At whatever scale, home, school, work, or an entire country, these people rule as dictators using fear and the threat … Read more
Hey! You people over there in the mist of darkness! Can you hear me? I can hear you. You keep bragging about how you are following the true leader to a glorious future after “the storm.” You seem to believe that you are holding on to some infallible guide. Watch out! Whatever you are clinging … Read more
Trump supporters demonstrate an “extreme devotion and unwavering admiration for their highly unpredictable and often inflammatory leader” (Azarian). Psychologist Thomas Pettigrew has identified five psychological phenomena that help to explain their behavior. 1. Authoritarian Personality Syndrome. People with this syndrome are submissive to authority, have a rigid hierarchical view of society, resist new experiences, and … Read more
Donald Trump represents an authoritarian movement and a cultural force. Trumpism is not merely or just a set of political policy preferences. Like other authoritarian cultural movements Trumpism promises a national-cultural transformation, psychological uplift, group superiority, personal salvation, and a sense of membership and belonging in an exclusive community for its members and other supporters. … Read more