Pathways to Authoritarianism: Metacognitive Influences on Extremist Attitudes and Behaviours

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between perceptions of societal extremism and the rise of authoritarian attitudes across the political spectrum. Across two studies, involving American adults, we examined how perceptions of increasing radicalism, media consumption, and existential nihilism contribute to both right-wing and left-wing authoritarian tendencies. Study 1 identified significant correlations between perceptions of societal extremism and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and its associations with conspiracy mentality and media use. Left-wing authoritarianism (LWA), on the other hand, was primarily predicted by existential nihilism. Study 2 made use of an experimental manipulation with historical data on political violence to assess the impact of accurate information about rates of political violence on authoritarian attitudes. Results revealed that presenting accurate historical data did not significantly alter perceptions of societal extremism; however, existential nihilism positively moderated the endorsement of authoritarian behaviors, particularly in the experimental condition. These findings suggest that authoritarian attitudes are influenced by complex interactions between individual psychological factors and broader informational environments, with parallel pathways leading to RWA and LWA. The implications for understanding the psychological underpinnings of political extremism are discussed.