Introverted and Closed-Minded: The Psychological Roots of Support for Autocracy in Latin America
Keyword(s):
What activates individuals’ support for autocratic governments? Some suggest that the answer is perceptions of increased corruption and/or poor economic performance. We do not dispute this explanation but instead contend that it depends on individual differences in personality. We hypothesise that introverted and closed-minded citizens are generally resistant to democracy. When democracies appear unable to address problems, introverted and closed-minded citizens defer to authoritarian leaders for efficient solutions. We test our hypotheses with cross-national survey data from Latin America. Our findings have important implications for how we understand the roots of autocratic attitudes.
2004 ◽
Vol 12
(2)
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pp. 28-57
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Keyword(s):
2016 ◽
pp. 670-679
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