Greetings. I am a voting constituent in rural west Texas.
Everyone I know, Democrat and Republican, spend a large part of their days wondering how it is even remotely possible that a presidential candidate like DJT is even considered a viable candidate, much less a candidate that we keep being told has a chance to actually win November’s election.
It’s completely nuts.
But I recently read a psychologist’s educated take on why the difference between Trump supporters and the rest of us.
There is considerable evidence that shows political persuasions come from differences in our neurology. Those with conservative leanings are more sensitive to negativity bias, conformity, authority, threat, disgust and avoidance.
There are also differences in the actual structure of the brain when considering conservative and liberal leanings. Evidence shows the right amygdala, which plays a large role in perceiving threats and fear reactions, is more active with conservatives.
More fear factor.
Those with a liberal bent tend to have a greater tolerance for ambiguity, equality and empathy.
Less fear factor.
Five social psychological factors have been identified that help explain why people support Trump.
Factor one involves authoritarianism: deference to authority, resistance to new experiences and aggression toward “outgroups.” Authoritarians view the world as a threatening and dangerous place.
Factor two reflects the preference for domination over groups of lower social status and is associated with the idea of a dog-eat-dog worldview, in which power is achieved by any means.
The third factor is prejudice, with active racial and ethnic biases. Trump’s frequent denigration of others as “vermin,” murderers and rapists does little other than foment prejudice.
Fourth is intergroup contact, where those who support Trump tend to have less contact with “outgroups” or diverse populations.
The last factor involves economics. Trump supporters have misguided anger about their standing in society. They incorrectly think that others are getting more, and they are more likely to feel neglected or treated unfairly.
Then there’s the concept of desire. Desire comes from seeing what others have and trying to copy them. But desire can spiral into animosity and rivalry. When that happens, people are likely to seek a scapegoat for their negative feelings. It then becomes “us against the enemy,” and the scapegoat “enemy” is blamed for everything that “plagues” the group.
Sound familiar?
What keeps us puzzled is the tendency for Trump’s followers to talk about freedom, claiming that they are patriots. However, psychology shows us that Trump supporters are more subject to authoritarianism — which is far from the type of citizen the Founders envisioned and more akin to the “tyrant” King George III, whom the colonies rebelled against. Mr. Trump’s followers will follow him regardless of the good of the country.
Far from free and patriotic.
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