There are many facets to the personality of a right-wing extremist, and there have been many studies conducted on the issue. The study of these personality disorders has a starting point [See:The Authoritarian Personality (1950) by Theodor Adorno]. Adorno explored the connection between certain personality traits and an orientation toward fascism. This study identified a personality connection characterized by a dynamic between authoritarian aggression and authoritarian submission. The study also found a common thread of anti-semitic and anti-liberal sentiments that exist in the right-wing extremist, however, much of this early study has given way to more recent research. The one constant factor that remains is that most right-wing extremist hold prejudices against minorities and any behavior that does not conform to the perceived values of their own group.
In recent times, these personality disorders by right-wing extremist have been re-labeled Right-Wing Authoritarian followers.
In a sense, these personality disorders are broad social and political predispositions and feelings towards people who are outside the authoritarian belief patterns. Recent research has focused on exogenous personal dispositions, to identify and explain individual differences and political orientations and behaviors.
These Personality Traits Are:
- Openness to experience.
- Conscientiousness.
- Extraversion.
- Agreeableness.
- Neuroticism (or emotional instability)
People who score high on openness are curious, open-minded, creative, and value novel stimuli. The conscientiousness person loves for there to be order and obedience to norms and rules; impulse control and task-oriented goals are paramount. Extraversion implies an out-going personality and approach to life. Traits such as sociability, assertiveness, and positive emotionality are common in extraverted personalities. People who score high on agreeableness are modest, trusting, altruistic, and tender-minded. Neuroticism describes a pattern of negative emotions that are related to feelings of anxiety, vulnerability, and uneasiness.
There has been an ever-increasing bevy of empirical data on these personality traits which investigates attitudes towards out-group members, especially immigrants. This new evidence has clearly shown that openness to experience is the most important predictor for differences in existing prejudices towards these out-groups. This attitude differs from the right-wing authoritarian who tends to feel they have a social dominance over these so-called out-groups. For example, they tend to have a sense of superior morality. ?Similarly, agreeable persons show a high disregard for right-wing authoritarianism and their views of social dominance and reject right-wing extremist orientations. By contrast, conscientious people have shown a severe disdain for minorities and immigrants, according to the study. They embrace right-wing authoritarian viewpoints, and many either agree with or find an excuse for right-wing extremist actions. Neuroticism relates solely to right-wing authoritarian views and make up a majority of people who join, participate with, or sympathize with right-wing extremist groups. The extrovert exhibits no systematic association with out-group derogation or right-wing extremist elements.
Based on this research, this writer contends that people who tend to be opened-minded to experiences are tolerant of those from perceived out-groups. These individuals view people from another background as interesting. ?Moreover, this open-mindedness fosters an appreciation for their different ideas and opinions. This attribute makes them less likely to advocate anti-pluralist political ideologies. ?For this reason, most open-minded people are demagogued by the right-wing extremist as being such things as socialist, communist, do-gooders, and lastly, liberal swine. In fairness, the open-minded person tends to feel that the right-wing extremist are uneducated derelicts of society. People who score high in agreeableness approach others with trust, are sociable, and don’t tend to get caught up in group boundaries. Moreover, agreeable persons are altruistic, advocate equal rights for all persons, and support democratic ideas rather than laws of “the strongest survive” and the “go fend for yourself” mentalities of the right -wing extremist.
However, people high in conscientiousness show a deep hate and fear of those in the out-groups. They challenge their established group relations, traditions, and social norms. In addition, their love for order makes them more comfortable with authoritarian political beliefs. With the neurotic, who tend to be emotionally unstable, they feel threaten by those in the out-groups. They exhibit the behavior of institutional racism, and attitudes of superiority towards minorities and immigrants alike. These attitudes serve as compensation for their paranoia, and feelings of uncertainty, therefore, they are attracted to right-wing extremist beliefs. ?For the extrovert, relationships can often be ambiguous. They value?a?self-expression and self-enhancement that results in a demand for ” freedom of expression.” This sense of freedom, coupled with their dominant focus on their personal advantage, draws some extroverts to the hierarchy-based beliefs of the authoritarian system, and can lead them to right-wing extremism.
These Personality Disorders Are Killing People
We now have a new face of right-wing extremism. Dylann Roof has supplanted Timothy McViegh, the Oklahoma City Federal Building bomber. Dylann Roof clearly has a personality disorder, however, what has transpired from this horrific event is the debate over the Confederate flag that in this writer’s view is the very symbol of ” The Personality Disorder of the Right Wing Extremist.”
What Does The Flag Mean Today?
