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Social Psychological Perspectives on Trump Supporters

“No one factor describes Trump’s supporters. But an array of factors – many of them reflecting five major social psychological phenomena can help to account for this extraordinary political event: authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, prejudice, relative deprivation, and intergroup contact.”

A closer look at each of those five phenomena:

Authoritarianism: “Several traits characterize the syndrome: deference to authority, aggression toward outgroups, a rigidly hierarchical view of the world, and resistance to new experience. Authoritarianism is typically triggered by threat and fear, and authoritarians tend to view the world as a very dangerous and threatening place. ... this orientation typically leads to some form of a right-wing political ideology ... Though found among left-wingers, authoritarianism is more numerous among right-wingers throughout the world. Trump’s speeches, studded with such absolutist terms as ‘losers’ and ‘complete disasters,’ are classic authoritarian statements. ... Republicans began averaging higher on authoritarianism than Democrats before the rise of Trump. And the party began to learn how to appeal to this segment of the American electorate in various ways. The Republican Party’s opposition to virtually everything proposed by the African-American President Obama helped.”

Social Dominance Orientation (SDO): “It represents a predisposition toward anti-egalitarianism within and between groups. ... They believe in a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world, and they report being motivated by self-interest and self-indulgence. ... His [Trump’s] clear distinction between groups on the top of society (Whites) and those ‘losers’ and ‘bad hombres’ on the bottom (immigrants, Blacks and Latinos) are classic social dominance statements.”

Prejudice: “Many outgroup prejudices characterize dedicated Trump’s followers, not just anti-immigrants, but anti-outgroups in general. Since Richard Nixon’s ‘southern strategy,’ the Republican Party has employed strategies that appeal to bigotry with ‘dog whistles’ – somewhat subtle codewords for race and other minorities designed to be heard by racists but not by non-racists. ... Trump is less subtle. He has repeatedly made unconcealed use of prejudice against outgroups ranging from ‘dangerous’ Muslims to Mexican ‘rapists.’ His dedicated followers loved it; breaking with so-called ‘political correctness,’ he blared openly what they had been saying privately.”

Intergroup Contact (or lack thereof): “A major means of reducing intergroup prejudice is through optimal intergroup contact. ... Trump’s White supporters have experienced far less contact with minorities than other Americans. ... Trump support increased as an area’s distance from the Mexican border increased. Throughout the world, intergroup contact has been shown typically to diminish prejudice by reducing intergroup fear and inducing empathy. Its extreme absence for most Trump fans is an important factor...”

Relative Deprivation: “Disappointing comparisons to relevant referents is often more significant than factual changes. What voters think is true is more important in elections than the actual truth. Trump adherents feel deprived relative to what they expected to possess at this point in their lives and relative to what they erroneously perceive other ‘less deserving’ groups have acquired. ... Thus, Trump adherents are typically not personally economically destitute; but they are ... ‘falling behind the Joneses.’ In short, they were often feeling deprived relative to their hopes and expectations.”

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