The Psychopathy of the Left: Know thy Enemy

Hoffer did not have access to psychological studies of individuals within mass movements; had he, his contemplations may have focused upon the personality traits of individual participants within mass totalitarian movements - especially among the agitators and cannon fodder - and concluded true belief was not the only driver toward violence.

What motivates people to deny the truth - or ignorance altogether - in order to spread mayhem and destruction? There have been numerous studies that have suggested that right-wing authoritarianism is dominated by "Strict endorsement of conservative social norms and values the compliance with established authorities and antagonistic behavior toward outgroup members." These past studies have labeled right-wing groups as homophobic, misogynistic, Islamophobic, and all-around dirty scoundrels.

Historically, few studies have examined left-wing authoritarianism in any detail because, of course, left-wing adherents are all well-meaning, empathetic, altruistic souls who are - through strict compliance with social justice - simply trying to make the world a better place for us all.

"While there is wide agreement that RWA and SDO are valid psychological constructs the notion of left-wing authoritarianism has been met with skepticism by many researchers even though some empirical studies found evidence for the existence of authoritarianism also on the left side of the political spectrum" Academic "Skepticism" is fed by the bias of left-leaning researchers who believe right-wing, knuckle-dragging Trump voters are monolithic, religious zealots who seek to enforce theological diktats, armed with "Assault rifles" fed with large-capacity magazines.

The paper included two studies by the researchers who examined respondents utilizing recognized psychological profile questionnaires.

The first studied the effects of narcissism on LWA. In a first step, the results of the data analyses showed that LWA [was] predicted by neurotic narcissism.

The second study turned its attention to antihierarchical aggression as it related to the antagonistic narcissist personalities. 

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/06/the_psychopathy_of_the_left_know_thy_enemy.html