How Experts Overlooked Left-Wing Authoritarianism - The ...

Many psychologists wrongly assumed that coercive attitudes exist only among conservatives. SkiptocontentSiteNavigationTheAtlanticPopularLatestSectionsPoliticsIdeasFictionTechnologySciencePhotoBusinessCulturePlanetGlobalBooksPodcastsHealthEducationProjectsAmericaInPersonFamilyEventsShadowlandProgressNewslettersTheAtlanticCrosswordPlayCrosswordThePrintEditionLatestIssuePastIssuesGiveaGiftSearchTheAtlanticQuickLinksDearTherapistCrosswordPuzzleManageSubscriptionPopularLatestSignInSubscribeDonaldTrump’srisetopowergeneratedafloodofmediacoverageandacademicresearchonauthoritarianism—oratleastthekindofauthoritarianismthatexistsonthepoliticalright.Overthepastseveralyears,someresearchershavetheorizedthatTrumpcouldn’thavewonin2016withoutsupportfromAmericanswhodeplorepoliticalcompromiseandwantleaderstorulewithastronghand.Althoughright-wingauthoritarianismiswelldocumented,socialpsychologistsdonotallagreethataleftistversionevenexists.InFebruary2020,theSocietyforPersonalityandSocialPsychologyheldasymposiumcalled“IsLeft-WingAuthoritarianismReal?EvidenceonBothSidesoftheDebate.”AnambitiousnewstudyonthesubjectbytheEmoryUniversityresearcherThomasH.Costelloandfivecolleaguesshouldsettlethequestion.Itproposesarigorousnewmeasureofantidemocraticattitudesontheleft.And,bydrawingonasurveyof7,258adults,Costello’steamfirmlyestablishesthatsuchattitudesexistonbothsidesoftheAmericanelectorate.(Oneco-authoronthepaper,Ishouldnote,wasCostello’sadviser,thelateScottLilienfeld—withwhomIwrotea2013bookandnumerousarticles.)Intriguingly,theresearchersfoundsomecommontraitsbetweenleft-wingandright-wingauthoritarians,includinga“preferenceforsocialuniformity,prejudicetowardsdifferentothers,willingnesstowieldgroupauthoritytocoercebehavior,cognitiverigidity,aggressionandpunitivenesstowardsperceivedenemies,outsizedconcernforhierarchy,andmoralabsolutism.”PublishedlastmonthintheJournalofPersonalityandSocialPsychology,theCostelloteam’spaperispersuasive,tothepointthatyouhavetowonder:Howcouldpastresearchershaveoverlookedleft-wingauthoritarianismforsolong?“For70years,theloreinthesocialscienceshasbeenthatauthoritarianismwastobefoundexclusivelyonthepoliticalright,”theRutgersUniversitysocialpsychologistLeeJussim,whowasn’tinvolvedinthenewstudy,toldmeinanemail.Inthe1950bookTheAuthoritarianPersonality,aninquiryintothepsychologicalmakeupofpeoplestronglydrawntoautocraticruleandrepressivepolitics,theGerman-bornscholarTheodorW.Adornoandthreeotherpsychologistsmeasuredpeoplealongdimensionssuchasconformitytosocietalnorms,rigidthinking,andsexualrepression.Andtheyconcludedthat“theauthoritariantypeofhuman”—thekindofpersonwhoseenthusiasticsupportallowssomeonelikeHitlertoexercisepower—wasfoundonlyamongconservatives.Inthemid-1990s,theinfluentialCanadianpsychologistBobAltemeyerdescribedleft-wingauthoritarianismas“theLochNessMonsterofpoliticalpsychology—anoccasionalshadow,butnomonster.”Subsequently,otherpsychologistsreachedthesameconclusion.ZeynepTufekci:America’snextauthoritarianwillbemuchmorecompetentTheTrumperalikelydeepenedpsychology’sconventionalwisdomthatauthoritariansarealmostalwaysconservatives;theinsurrectionattheCapitolearlierthisyearshowedtheurgencyofunderstandingthephenomenon.Andyetcallstode-platformcontroversialspeakersandonlinecampaignstogetpeoplefiredforheterodoxviewssuggestthatacommitmenttoopendemocraticnormsiseroding,atleastinsomequarters,ontheleft.Muchfurtheralongtheauthoritariancontinuum,peoplepurportingtobeantiracistorantifascistprotestershavesetfiresandcommittedotheractsofviolencesincethesummerof2020.Theseactsstopshortof,say,the1970sbombingcampaignbythefar-leftWeatherUnderground,butsurelycalltheprevailingwisdomintodoubt.(Supportersofrevolutionaryregimesoverseashavedemonstratedevenmoreclearlythatsomepeopleonthelefttrytogettheirwaythroughintimidationandforce.)Butonereasonleft-wingauthoritarianismbarelyshowsupinsocial-psychologyresearchisthatmostacademicexpertsinthefieldarebasedatinstitutionswhereprevailingattitudesarefartotheleftofsocietyasawhole.Scholarswhopersonallysupporttheleft’ssocialvision—suchasredistributingincome,counteringracism,andmore—maysimplybeslowtoidentifyauthoritarianismamongpeoplewithsimilargoals.Onedoesn’tneedtobelievethatleft-wingauthoritariansareasnumerousorasthreateningastheirright-wingcounterpartstograspthatbothphenomenaareaproblem.Whileliberals—bothinsideandoutsideofacademia—mayderivesomecomfortfrombelievingthatleft-wingauthoritarianismdoesn’texist,thatfictionignoresasignificantsourceofinstabilityandpolarizationinourpoliticsandsociety.IntheresearchthatledtoTheAuthoritarianPersonality,Adornoandhiscolleaguesdevelopedan“F-scale”tomeasurefascistattitudes;Altemeyerlaterdrewonthatresearchtocreateascalemeasuringright-wingauthoritarianismbyassessingcertainpersonalitytraits—includingfeelingsofaggression,willingnesstosubmittoauthority,andaqualitythathecalled“conventionalism”—notstrictlyrelatedtoasubject’spoliticalconservatism.Altemeyer’sright-wingauthoritarian(RWA)scaleremains“thegoldstandardforconceptualizingandevaluatingallkindsofauthoritarianism,”Costellotoldme.ButwhenAltemeyerlaterturnedhisattentiontoleft-wingauthoritarianism(LWA),heerroneouslyassumeditwouldbeidenticaltotheright-wingvariety.HisLWAscalebarelyidentifiedanysubjects.Heeitherhadsetthethresholdtoohighorwasmeasuringthewrongattitudes.Costelloandhiscolleaguesstartedfresh.Theydevelopedwhateventuallybecamealistof39statementscapturingsentimentssuchas“Weneedtoreplacetheestablishedorderbyanymeansnecessary”and“Ishouldhavetherightnottobeexposedtooffensiveviews.”Subjectswereaskedtoscorethestatementsonascaleof1to7.Theyshowedatraitthattheresearchersdescribedas“anti-hierarchicalaggression”byagreeingstronglythat“IfIcouldremakesociety,Iwouldputpeoplewhocurrentlyhavethemostprivilegeatthebottom.”Byagreeingwithstatementssuchas“Gettingridofinequalityismoreimportantthanprotectingtheso-called‘right’tofreespeech,”theyshowedanattitudecalled“top-downcensorship.”Andtheyshowedwhattheresearchteamcalled“anti-conventionalism”byendorsingstatementssuchas“Icannotimaginemyselfbecomingfriendswithapoliticalconservative.”Read:TheworldisexperiencinganewformofautocracyCostelloandhiscolleaguesadministeredtheirnewLWAindexandAltemeyer’soriginalRWAscale.Somedifferencesemergedbetweenleft-wingandright-wingauthoritarians;theformerweremoreopentonewexperiencesandmorereceptivetosciencethanthelatter,forexample.Yetthenewresearchdocumentsalargeoverlapinauthoritarianstructure—a“sharedpsychologicalcore,”astheauthorsputit—betweenhighscorersontheirnewLWAindexandAltemeyer’soriginalRWAscale,whichtheyalsoadministered.Theauthoritarianmentality,whetheronthefarleftorfarright,theauthorsconclude,exerts“powerfulpressurestomaintaindisciplineamongmembers,advocateaggressiveandcensoriousmeansofstiflingopposition,[and]believeintop-downabsolutistleadership.”Perhapsthemostcompellinginsightemergedfromtryingtoseparatesubjects’politicalideologyfromauthoritarianism.Theyfoundthatyourideology—whetheryou’reaprogressiveoraTrumpist—isasecondarymatter.Whetheryourvaluesandbeliefsareauthoritarianornotismorefundamental.“Psychologicallyspeaking,authoritarianismcomesfirst,”Costellotoldme.IaskedCostellowhetherleft-wingandright-wingauthoritariansexistinequalproportions.“Itishardtoknowtheratio,”hesaid,makingclearthatasubject’sreceptivitytoauthoritarianismfallsonacontinuum,likeotherpersonalitycharacteristicsorevenheight,sousinghard-and-fastcategories(authoritarianversusnonauthoritarian)canbetricky.“Still,somepreliminaryworkshowstheratioisaboutthesameifyouaverageacrosstheglobe,”hesaid.IntheU.S.,though,Costellohypothesizesthatright-wingauthoritariansoutnumberleft-wingonesbyroughlythreetoone.OtherresearchershaveconcludedthatthenumberofstridentconservativesintheU.S.farexceedsthenumberofstridentprogressivesandthatAmericanconservativesexpressmoreauthoritarianattitudesthantheircounterpartsinBritain,Australia,orCanada.Thatpsychologistshavebeenslowtoacknowledgetheexistenceofleft-wingauthoritariansatallis“puzzling,”Costelloandhiscolleagueswrite.Buthere,Iwouldargue,iswherethepronouncedleftwardorientationofresearchersinsocialpsychologycomesin.“Academicpsychologyoncehadconsiderablepoliticaldiversity,buthaslostnearlyallofitinthelast50years,”accordingtoacomprehensive2014review.Universitieshavelongtiltedtotheleft,butthattendencyhasdeepenedaseducationhasbecomeevermorehighlycorrelatedwithpoliticalideology.Whateveritsorigin,thispoliticalimbalancemakestruth-seekingharder.Studieshaverepeatedlyshownthatinvestigators’sociopoliticalviewsinfluencethequestionstheyask.What’smore,ideologicallyconcordantreviewersaremorelikelytorateabstractsandpapershighlyifthefindingscomportwiththeirownbeliefs,allelsebeingequal.Ideologicalblindspotscanindeedaffectresearcherswithastronglyconservativeormerelyright-of-centeroutlook,buttherejustaren’tenoughofthemtomatter.Ifacademicpsychologyhadmoreviewpointdiversity,thepoliticalbiasesthatdistortresearchers’workwouldallcounterbalanceoneanother.InAmericanuniversitiestoday,thosebiasesgenerallypointinthesamedirection.Inpsychology,thebeliefthatonlyconservativescanbeauthoritarians,andthatthereforeonlyconservativeauthoritarianswarrantseriousstudy,hasprovedself-reinforcingoverthecourseofdecades.Asbothleft-andright-wingautocraciesmetastasizearoundtheglobe—a“pandemicofglobalauthoritarianism”thathas“persistedanddeepened”overthepast15years,inthewordsoftheStanfordsociologistLarryDiamond—andasthespeedofradicalizationofrecruitshashastened,themodestcadreofresearchersinterestedinthesubjectwilllikelygrow.Byrecastingleft-wingauthoritarianisminmorespecificterms—anti-hierarchicalaggression,top-downcensorship,andanti-conventionalism—Costelloandhiscolleaguesofferotherresearchersandthegeneralpublicanewvocabularyfordiscussingantidemocraticattitudesonthatsideofthepoliticalspectrum.Read:AstudyguidetotheriseofauthoritarianismTheothervirtueoftheCostelloteam’sworkisitsstatusasasoberingdemonstrationofhowsocialpsychology’sdominantideologicalorientationhasconstrainedthescopeofinquiry.“ThedominantviewofRWAasthe‘goldstandard’ofauthoritarianismwritlargeisnotmerelyaninfluentialtheoreticalframeworkorahistoricalquirk,”theauthorswrite.“Itlimitsthequestionsweaskasscientists[and]thetypesoftheoriesweusetointerpretourresults.”Formanyyears,whatwasperfectlyobvioustomanyoutsidethefield—thatextremistmindsetsexistonbothendsofthepoliticalspectrum—wasatbestdownplayedbythemajorityofsocialpsychologists.Anideologicalmonoculturewithinthedisciplinehasdamagedourcollectiveunderstandingofpoliticalpsychology—and,byextension,Americanpolitics.