Do people on the radical left demonstrate a mental disorder? Most people on the right roll their eyes at the hysteria and fears of the left, but what’s to be done?

Given that there were major shifts on the left in the 2024 election, is it possible that somehow sanity is breaking through? With the ongoing polarization that has burdened this country, it’s worthwhile to examine the psychological framework of leftists; both how they see themselves and how they see others. The results may also indicate whether the changes in voting behavior might continue, or whether they were situational.

A phrase that’s been coined is “Left-Wing Authoritarianism” (LWA) or Left-Wing Extremism. A report from last year shed some light on this mentality of the left:

Narcissistic individuals and those with psychopathic tendencies are more likely to strongly endorse left-wing antihierarchical aggression, according to new research published in Current Psychology.

[snip]

‘Based on our results, we introduced a new contribution to the literature on dark personality traits, coining the term dark-ego-vehicle principle (DEVP),’ [researchers] Krispenz and Bertrams explained. ‘According to this principle, individuals with dark personalities – such as high narcissistic and psychopathic traits – are attracted to certain forms of political and social activism which they can use as a vehicle to satisfy their own ego-focused needs instead of actually aiming at social justice and equality.’

Other studies reflect results that differentiate between left-wing and right-wing authoritarianism:

LWA is also linked with signs of mental distress, such as symptoms of anxiety and depression. Another European study of social media users addressed how LWA may be specifically linked with perceived grievance and prejudice. LWA relates to the tendency to see sexism and White privilege in everyday life, as well as holding negative views of men. These patterns are nearly the exact opposite of existing evidence on RWA [emphasis added].

Traits of authoritarianism aren’t unique to the left, but they manifest differently…and all too often, violently:

‘An individual high in LWA might declare anyone to be ‘old fashioned’ who is opposing their own ‘progressive values,’ strive to suppress free speech to regulate the expression of right-wing beliefs in educational institutions, and even endorse the use of violence to reach their own political goals,’ the authors said.

What are some of the conclusions we might draw from a better understanding of those with LWA?

1. A good place to start is a shared understanding of the meaning of “psychopathology.” Here is one definition: “Psychopathology describes a wide array of mental health conditions, including but not limited to depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and various personality disorders.” Another way to define psychopathology is the term “abnormal behavior.” We could explore what the word “abnormal” means, but most people would likely agree that participation in violent protests against innocent parties is not the norm.

2. LWAs may not just be ideologues. They may not even have an ideology. Instead, they are driven by their mental constructs. For example, compared to people within the RWA category, evidence exists that individuals high in LWA are more “emotionally reactive.” Also, see this:

A team of American and Dutch researchers carried out 12 studies across 74,000 people worldwide. They concluded that high LWA persons tended to:

• See threats in multiple aspects of everyday life.
• Believe the world is a just and fair place.
• Demand others be politically correct.
• Hold prejudiced views of African American and Jewish persons.
• Show mental inflexibility.

Examples of how these beliefs manifest would be seen in cancel culture, claims of systemic racism, and anti-Black and anti-Semitic beliefs and language.

3. It is nearly impossible to have a productive discussion with a person who has the LWA traits. They are overly emotional, so that rational conversation is discounted; you are likely to be accused of being a Nazi or racist. Having an intellectual discussion will also be difficult, since they are narcissistic and assume their views (progressivism) are the correct ones to have; they have all the information they need.

One last question to ask: To what degree are most leftists LWA? Probably a staggering amount.

So is waiting for the LWA to come around and approach politics rationally and maturely a foolish notion? It might be.

I think the best thing people can do is be open to discussing conflicting views, as difficult as that might be. If a person wants to talk politics with you, you can choose, before you launch the discussion, to set the parameters: Demonstrate listening by paraphrasing what the person says; maintain a tolerable “temperature” through the discussion; avoid name-calling; commit to learning from each other; and make an agreement to provide resources after the discussion.

You may not get past the first parameter, but your effort will be one small attempt toward unifying a struggling country.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.