Snapshot of Some Hardcore Loyalists During the
2016 Campaign
From Alternet.org – an excellent article that examines the
minds of some Trump loyalists.
Introduction: The lightning-fast ascent and
political invincibility of Donald Trump has left many experts baffled and
wondering, “How
did we get here?”
Any accurate
and sufficient answer to that question must not only focus on Trump himself,
but also on his uniquely loyal supporters.
Given their
extreme devotion and unwavering admiration for their highly unpredictable and
often inflammatory leader, some have turned to the field of psychology for
scientific explanations based on precise quantitative data and established theoretical
frameworks.
Although
analyses and studies by psychologists and neuroscientists have provided many
thought-provoking explanations for his enduring support,
the accounts of different experts often vary greatly, sometimes overlapping and
other times conflicting. However insightful these critiques may be, it is
apparent that more research and examination is needed to hone in on the exact
psychological and social factors underlying this peculiar human behavior.
Five Key Points Are Examined – see if it sounds like anyone you know:
1. Authoritarian Personality Syndrome: Authoritarianism
refers to the advocacy or enforcement of strict obedience to authority at the
expense of personal freedom, and is commonly associated with a lack of concern
for the opinions or needs of others.
Authoritarian personality syndrome — a well-studied and
globally-prevalent condition — is a state of mind that is characterized by
belief in total and complete obedience to one’s authority.
Those with
the syndrome often display aggression toward out group members, submissiveness
to authority, resistance to new experiences, and a rigid hierarchical view of
society.
The
syndrome is often triggered by fear, making it easy for leaders who exaggerate
threat or fear monger to gain their allegiance.
Although
authoritarian personality is found among liberals, it is more common among the right-wing around
the world.
Trump’s speeches, which are laced with absolutist
terms like “losers” and “complete disasters,” etc., are naturally appealing to
those with the syndrome.
2. Social Dominance Orientation (SDO): This is a distinct but related to authoritarian personality syndrome.
SDO refers to
people who have a preference for the societal hierarchy of groups, specifically
with a structure in which the high-status groups have dominance over the
low-status ones.
Those with SDO
are typically dominant, tough-minded, and driven by self-interest.
In Trump’s speeches, he appeals to those with SDO by
repeatedly making a clear distinction between groups that have a generally
higher status in society (White), and
those groups that are typically thought of as belonging to a lower status (Immigrants and Minorities – people of color).
3. Prejudice:
It would be grossly unfair and inaccurate to say that every one of Trump’s
supporters have prejudice against ethnic and religious minorities, but it would
be equally inaccurate to say that many do not.
It is a
well-known fact that the Republican party, going at least as far back to Richard Nixon’s “southern strategy,” used strategies that
appealed to bigotry, such as lacing speeches with “dog whistles”
— code words that signaled prejudice toward minorities that were designed
to be heard by racists but no one else.
4. Intergroup
contact: Intergroup contact refers to contact with members of groups that
are outside one’s own, which has been experimentally shown to reduce prejudice.
As
such, it’s important to note that there is growing evidence that Trump’s white
supporters have experienced significantly less contact with minorities than
other Americans. For example, a 2016 study found
that “…the racial and ethnic isolation of Whites at the zip-code level is one
of the strongest predictors of Trump support.”
This correlation persisted while
controlling for dozens of other variables. In agreement with this finding, the
same researchers found that support for Trump increased with the voters’
physical distance from the Mexican border.
5. Relative
deprivation: Relative deprivation refers to the experience of being deprived of
something to which one believes they are entitled.
It is the
discontent felt when one compares their position in life to others who they
feel are equal or inferior but have unfairly had more success than them. Common
explanations for Trump’s popularity among non-bigoted voters involve economics.
There is no doubt that some Trump supporters are simply angry that American
jobs are being lost to Mexico and China, which is certainly understandable,
although these loyalists often ignore the fact that some of these careers are
actually being lost due to the accelerating pace of automation.
These Trump
supporters are experiencing relative deprivation, and are common among the
swing states like Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. This kind of deprivation is
specifically referred to as “relative,” as opposed to “absolute,” because the
feeling is often based on a skewed perception of what one is entitled to.
For
example, an analysis conducted
by “Five-Thirty-Eight” estimated that the median annual income of
Trump supporters was $72,000.
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