Eric Hoffer, in The True Believer, identified three groupings of people involved with mass movements: men of words, practical men of action, and fanatics. These can be further summarized as the benefactors -- politicians and community leaders who gain power through aggressive protests; the agitators who play the role of true believers by manipulating causes and people to gain recognition and power; and the cannon fodder, those who are easily manipulated and see social justice as a means to gain social acceptance and self-worth. 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.

From man-on-the-street interviews of Hamas sympathizers, two of these groupings are on full display: the agitators deny the barbarity of the Hamas atrocities on October 7th, dismissing it as “Zionist” propaganda; the cannon fodder is exposed as a legion of brainless twits -- many did not know what river or what sea they were demanding for their Palestinian brethren. “Queers for Palestine” activists do not know of the warm welcome they would receive from Hamas if they visited the Gaza Strip. Hint: it involves stones and rooftops.

But 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 (RWA) is dominated by “strict endorsement of conservative social norms and values …the compliance with established authorities… and antagonistic behavior toward outgroup members.” (Krispenz and Bertrams, 2023) These past studies have labeled right-wing groups as homophobic, misogynistic, Islamophobic, and all-around dirty scoundrels. Of course, when we think about right-wing versus left-wing, we assume conservatives versus progressives; but keep in mind, the dictatorial mullahs in the Muslim world are considered conservative, right-wing authoritarians who would happily stone to death a homosexual or “misbehaving” woman and slit the throat of any number of persons they deem infidels.

Historically, few studies have examined left-wing authoritarianism (LWA) 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.

Ann Krispenz and Alex Bertrams’ “Understanding left-wing authoritarianism: Relations to the dark personality traits, altruism, and social justice commitment” is one of several new examinations of left-wing authoritarianism (LWA) and what fuels the fire of zealotry, particularly among the agitators and cannon fodder. “Dark personality traits” refers to the dark triad -- the antisocial traits of Machiavellianism, narcissism (not the subclinical version of which we are all sometimes guilty), and psychopathy.

In the aftermath of the Floyd and January 6^th protests, professors Krispenz and Bertrams (University of Bern) examined similarities and differences between the two groups. “While there is wide agreement that RWA and SDO [social dominance orientation] are valid psychological constructs… the notion of left-wing authoritarianism (LWA) 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. Interestingly, and contrary to our predictions, we did not find any relationship between LWA… and altruism. These results seem to imply that individuals high in LWA are also individuals with high levels of neurotic narcissism…

Then, a robust relationship between the LWA subfacet [sic] of antihierarchical aggression and antagonistic narcissism was unveiled. Antihierarchical aggression represents the drive to use force to overthrow those in power and who endorse conservative values. The results of Study 1 suggest that this motivation can be more likely found in individuals who exploit others for their own interests, lack empathy, have a sense of entitlement, are arrogant and manipulative, demonstrate reactive anger and distrust others while at the same time seeking thrill…

What observers witness in continual Hamas -- or BLM or Antifa or (insert here) -- protests have been participants suffering from high levels of neurotic narcissism. The lack of altruism undercuts the Left’s “strong desire” for social justice.

The second study turned its attention to antihierarchical aggression as it related to the antagonistic narcissist personalities. As a side measure, the researchers compared the participant’s narcissistic traits to the other two dark triad disorders: Machiavellianism and psychopathy. It sought to measure “prosocial” attitudes as it relates to social justice causes, i.e. “issues like the fight against poverty, racism, and discrimination (e.g., due to sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or gender).”

Surprisingly, we found a significant association between Machiavellianism and antihierarchical aggression… and an even stronger relationship between psychopathy and antihierarchical aggression…

In this analysis, the association between antihierarchical aggression and social justice commitment vanished and a relationship between antihierarchical aggression and psychopathy was unveiled…

Accordingly, the results of Study 2 showed not only significant correlations between the dark triad traits, but also revealed that each of these traits have unique aspects as only psychopathy was significantly predicting antihierarchical aggression.

It is not wise to use broad brush strokes to paint all leftists as neurotic. Many of the college kids, or cannon fodder, are run-of-the-mill narcissists who, with maturity and wisdom, will see their participation in these protests as regretful childish acts. For many agitators, grift from donations is the primary driver for their activism. However, the fact that zealous agitators and cannon fodder are closer to psychopathy than the other dark triads is disturbing.

Though not clinical diagnoses, we call them psychopaths (born from evil) and sociopaths (made from evil). These are the folks you see on true crime shows who are mass- and serial-murderers. In review of psychological literature, there is acceptance that no clinical treatment will help individuals with psychopathy. Little is known about them because sufferers do not seek psychological help and are usually exposed only through court-ordered treatment after being found guilty of heinous crimes. Much of the literature is focused upon helping victims of psychopaths and teaching others how to isolate themselves from these deranged souls, not for treatment.

Evil is the absence of conscience; psychopathy is the lack of empathy and conscience; thus, many in these LWA movements are evil incarnate. There is no persuasion nor negotiation that can yield resolution with members in these movements. They lack empathy and conscience; these are necessary traits in order to find non-violent resolution. The best strategy is to isolate and ignore them and jail them when their actions become destructive.

Frederick Hink writes at Substack. His columns and articles can be found at frederickhink.substack.com.

Image: PickPik