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The Securitarian Personality: What Really Motivates Trump's Base and Why It Matters for the Post-Trump Era
A unique analysis that looks at the true motivation of Trump supporters.
The Authoritarian Personality, which was published by Theordor Adorno and a set of colleagues in the 1950s, was the first broad-based empirical attempt to explain why certain individuals are attracted to the authoritarian, even fascist, leaders that dominated the political scene in the 1930s and 1940s. Today, the concept has been applied to leaders ranging from Trump to Viktor Orban to Rodrigo Duterte. But is it really accurate to label Trump supporters as authoritarians? In The Securitarian Personality, John R. Hibbing argues that an intense desire for authority is not central to those constituting Trump's base. Drawing from participant observation, focus groups, and especially an original, nationwide survey of the American public that included over 1,000 ardent Trump supporters, Hibbing demonstrates that what Trump's base really craves is actually a specific form of security. Trump supporters do not strive for security in the face of all threats, such as climate change, Covid-19, and economic inequality, but rather only from those threats they perceive to be emanating from human outsiders, defined broadly to include welfare cheats, unpatriotic athletes, norm violators, non-English speakers, religious and racial minorities, and certainly people from other countries. The central objective of these "securitarians" is to strive for protection for themselves, their families, and their dominant cultural group from these embodied outsider threats. A radical reinterpretation of the support for Trumpism, The Securitarian Personality not only provides insight into a political movement that many find baffling and frustrating, but offers a compelling thesis that all observers of American political behavior will have to contend with, even if they disagree with it.
The Authoritarian Personality, which was published by Theordor Adorno and a set of colleagues in the 1950s, was the first broad-based empirical attempt to explain why certain individuals are attracted to the authoritarian, even fascist, leaders that dominated the political scene in the 1930s and 1940s. Today, the concept has been applied to leaders ranging from Trump to Viktor Orban to Rodrigo Duterte. But is it really accurate to label Trump supporters as authoritarians? In The Securitarian Personality, John R. Hibbing argues that an intense desire for authority is not central to those constituting Trump's base. Drawing from participant observation, focus groups, and especially an original, nationwide survey of the American public that included over 1,000 ardent Trump supporters, Hibbing demonstrates that what Trump's base really craves is actually a specific form of security. Trump supporters do not strive for security in the face of all threats, such as climate change, Covid-19, and economic inequality, but rather only from those threats they perceive to be emanating from human outsiders, defined broadly to include welfare cheats, unpatriotic athletes, norm violators, non-English speakers, religious and racial minorities, and certainly people from other countries. The central objective of these "securitarians" is to strive for protection for themselves, their families, and their dominant cultural group from these embodied outsider threats. A radical reinterpretation of the support for Trumpism, The Securitarian Personality not only provides insight into a political movement that many find baffling and frustrating, but offers a compelling thesis that all observers of American political behavior will have to contend with, even if they disagree with it.
Book Details
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
- Publish Date: Jul 15th, 2022
- Pages: 304
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 8.84in - 5.69in - 0.81in - 0.92lb
- EAN: 9780197649787
- Categories: • Comparative Politics• Political• Developmental - Child
About the Author
John R. Hibbing, Foundation Regents Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. John R. Hibbing is the Foundation Regents Professor of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His previous works include Stealth Democracy and Predisposed: Liberals, Conservatives, and the Biology of Political Differences. He has received nine National Science Foundation grants, been named a NATO Fellow in Science and a Guggenheim Fellow, and appeared on Star Talk, NPR's Hidden Brain, and The Daily Show.
Praise for this book
"[T]his is an insightful psychological profile of the voters Trump is counting on in 2020." -- Publishers Weekly"An illuminating look at the drivers of illiberal nativism - and of support for its chief modern exponent." -- Kirkus
"Trump enthusiasts are not who you think they are. In this smart, engaging psychological exploration, Hibbing punctures some popular stereotypes, shows us what really motivates them, and explains why they will be around long after President Trump exits the stage." -- Larry M. Bartels, May Werthan Shayne Chair of Public Policy and Social Science, Vanderbilt University"For years, John Hibbing has been one of the world's most fearless, creative, and adventurous political scientists, readily embracing and incorporating new discoveries in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral genetics. He needs all of that and more to understand the dedicated, fervent Trump supporter. Hibbing's analysis -- based on extensive interviews, participant observation, and public opinion polls -- is extremely insightful and intuitively convincing. It is an outstanding, thought-provoking work of interdisciplinary scholarship." -- John T. Jost, Co-Director of the Center for Social and Political Behavior and Professor, New York University, and author of A Theory of System Justification"Foundational work on the psychology of politics tests what makes Trump venerators psychologically unique. Unlike prior accounts, Hibbing puts aside theories of economic bitterness, feelings of fear, and authoritarianism. Drawing instead on evolutionary and political psychology, Hibbing combines insights from interviews and a unique survey to suggest that Trump venerators are continuing the evolutionary-long tradition of desiring security from outsiders. The first step to reducing the risks they pose to democratic processes, Hibbing suggests, is to understand that many of our fellow citizens have a fundamentally different and securitarian approach towards perceived outsiders." -- Mark J. Brandt, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University"John Hibbing set out to understand the motivations not of Trump voters, but of his fire-breathing base. In doing so, he has produced an original, nuanced, fair-minded, and fascinating empirical account of what he labels the 'securitarian personality.' Hibbing argues that securitarians define one side of the most fundamental divide in modern societies. They will be a disruptive force in our politics well after Trump, one that must be understood and reckoned with. This important book makes compelling reading both for social scientists and Trump's strongest supporters and opponents." -- Thomas E. Mann, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, and Resident Scholar, University of California, Berkeley
"Trump enthusiasts are not who you think they are. In this smart, engaging psychological exploration, Hibbing punctures some popular stereotypes, shows us what really motivates them, and explains why they will be around long after President Trump exits the stage." -- Larry M. Bartels, May Werthan Shayne Chair of Public Policy and Social Science, Vanderbilt University"For years, John Hibbing has been one of the world's most fearless, creative, and adventurous political scientists, readily embracing and incorporating new discoveries in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral genetics. He needs all of that and more to understand the dedicated, fervent Trump supporter. Hibbing's analysis -- based on extensive interviews, participant observation, and public opinion polls -- is extremely insightful and intuitively convincing. It is an outstanding, thought-provoking work of interdisciplinary scholarship." -- John T. Jost, Co-Director of the Center for Social and Political Behavior and Professor, New York University, and author of A Theory of System Justification"Foundational work on the psychology of politics tests what makes Trump venerators psychologically unique. Unlike prior accounts, Hibbing puts aside theories of economic bitterness, feelings of fear, and authoritarianism. Drawing instead on evolutionary and political psychology, Hibbing combines insights from interviews and a unique survey to suggest that Trump venerators are continuing the evolutionary-long tradition of desiring security from outsiders. The first step to reducing the risks they pose to democratic processes, Hibbing suggests, is to understand that many of our fellow citizens have a fundamentally different and securitarian approach towards perceived outsiders." -- Mark J. Brandt, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University"John Hibbing set out to understand the motivations not of Trump voters, but of his fire-breathing base. In doing so, he has produced an original, nuanced, fair-minded, and fascinating empirical account of what he labels the 'securitarian personality.' Hibbing argues that securitarians define one side of the most fundamental divide in modern societies. They will be a disruptive force in our politics well after Trump, one that must be understood and reckoned with. This important book makes compelling reading both for social scientists and Trump's strongest supporters and opponents." -- Thomas E. Mann, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, and Resident Scholar, University of California, Berkeley