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Monday, December 28th, 2020

These 4 psychopathic personality traits are linked to racial prejudice, right-wing authoritarianism: study

Author:     Meaghan Ellis
Source:     AlterNet
Publication Date:     December 22, 2020
 Link: These 4 psychopathic personality traits are linked to racial prejudice, right-wing authoritarianism: study
Stephan:   It is time to face this difficult truth: The problem with America is Americans. My own view is that because 64% of Americans have never been outside the boundaries of the United States, a majority of Americans have no idea what happens when a nation sinks into authoritarianism. Not a clue. And that is coupled with a culture that has grown to see every person for himself as the norm, and profit as the only social priority. It is a form of mental illness, and the failure to recognize it, and address it, is literally destroying us. Only a massive financial and psychological restructuring of American culture is going to allow us to continue as a democracy, and create a society where fostering wellbeing is the systemic goal. For those interested in the primary research paper upon which this article is based: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886920305468  
American militia member

A new study published in the latest edition of “Personality and Individual Differences“highlights the relationship between psychopathic tendencies, pathological personality traits and prejudicial views. Research suggests people with “calloused, deceitful, and manipulative interpersonal styles” are more prone to align with the beliefs of right-wing authoritarianism, according to PsyPost.

Sandeep Roy, a doctoral candidate with a major-applied focus on clinical psychology at the University of North Texas, explained the correlation between the two.

“My interest in the relationship between pathological personality traits, such as those captured by psychopathy, and prejudicial tendencies originated from my experiences working with offenders in the Arizona correctional system prior to graduate school,” said Roy.

He added, “I noticed offenders who were elevated in psychopathic propensities, as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003), frequently used racial epithets to denigrate me and other staff. When I began studying this personality disorder more in my graduate training, I noticed a paucity of literature relating psychopathy to prejudice.”

Roy went on to explain what inspired his research as he noted his […]

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