XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, mn.politics, alt.politics.usa.republican   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns, sac.politics   
   From: X@Y.com   
      
    An Analysis of Trump Supporters Has Identified 5 Key Traits   
   A new report sheds light on the psychological basis for Trump's support.   
      
      
       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.”   
      
       A 2016 survey found that high authoritarians greatly favored   
       then-candidate Trump. An analysis estimated that the median annual   
       income of Trump supporters was $72,000, which disputes that Trump   
       supporters are "working-class."   
      
      
   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.   
      
   In a recent review paper published in the Journal of Social and Political   
   Psychology, Psychologist and UC Santa Cruz professor Thomas Pettigrew   
   argues that five major psychological phenomena can help explain this   
   exceptional political event. 1. Authoritarianism   
      
   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 outgroup 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. President Trump’s speeches,   
   which include absolutist terms like “losers” and “complete disasters,”   
   are   
   naturally appealing to those who prefer authoritarianism.   
      
   While research showed that Republican voters in the U.S. scored higher   
   than Democrats on measures of authoritarianism before Trump emerged on   
   the   
   political scene, a 2016 Politico survey found that high authoritarians   
   greatly favored then-candidate Trump, which led to a correct prediction   
   that he would win the election, despite the polls saying otherwise.   
   article continues after advertisement 2. Social dominance orientation   
      
   Social dominance orientation (SDO)—which is distinct but related to   
   authoritarian personality syndrome—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).   
      
   A 2016 survey study of 406 American adults published this year in the   
   journal Personality and Individual Differences found that those who   
   scored   
   high on both SDO and authoritarianism were those who intended to vote for   
   Trump in the election. 3. Prejudice   
      
   It would be grossly unfair and inaccurate to say that every one of   
   Trump’s   
   supporters has a prejudice against ethnic and religious minorities, but   
   it   
   would be equally inaccurate to say that some 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 by delivering speeches with “dog whistles”—code words that   
   signaled prejudice toward minorities that were designed to be heard by   
   racists but no one else.   
      
   While the dog whistles of the past were more subtle, Trump’s are   
   sometimes   
   shockingly direct. There’s no denying that he routinely appeals to   
   bigoted   
   supporters when he calls Muslims “dangerous” and Mexican immigrants   
   “rapists” and “murderers,” often in a blanketed fashion. Perhaps   
   unsurprisingly, a new study has shown that support for Trump is   
   correlated   
   with a standard scale of modern racism. article continues after   
   advertisement 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 may be 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   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)