Authoritarian Trait or Authoritarian State: Which is It?
At this point it is important (and timely) to pose a critical question: is authoritarianism a trait or a state? The distinction between trait and state is central to any thoughtful analysis of human behavior. A trait (often called a personality characteristic or character) is considered to be relatively permanent. Like traditional notions about intelligence (IQ), a personality trait is assumed to be something with which we are born or something that we acquire in early life (usually as a result of the way we are treated by our parents). It is hard to change personality traits. Tragically, most of the attempts to change personality traits have involved some grotesque bodily intrusion (such as lobotomy or massive injections of certain tranquilizing drugs).
By contrast, a personality state is assumed to be temporary in nature and a result of some external environmental condition that produces (or at least strongly encourages) a specific behavior. For instance, there is something that is often called an anxiety trait. This is found among people who are constantly in a state of agitation and diffuse fear. By contrast, there is an anxiety state. This is a condition that we have all experienced. We encounter something that arouses significant fear in us – such as preparation in college for an important test or meeting our potential in-laws. While trait anxiety often requires some medication or at least stress-reduction practices, there is usually no need for the treatment of state anxiety unless it frequently occurs. If there is to be a state anxiety treatment, then it will usually focus on alteration of the environment in which the anxious person is living or working.
A similar distinction can be drawn between depression as a trait and depression as a state. Once again, depression can be a major medical condition that must be treated through the use of specific medical procedures. Conversely, we have all experienced the “blues” when something has occurred in our life that makes us sad. Grieving is an important (and healthy) source of human adaptation to the vicissitudes of life. There are many other important distinctions to be made between trait and state – including the trait and state of violence, the trait and state of altruism – and even the trait and state of consistency (are we consistent about being consistent?)
Is Authoritarianism a Trait or State?
While over the past seven decades most of the research and conversations about authoritarianism have treated it as an enduring personality trait, it might well be the case that an authoritarian perspective is engaged when one is consistently subjected to an anxiety-provoking set of challenges. We might find that people are inclined to align with an authoritarian source of power and control as a result of the swirling mess of a world in which they are living. They might become rigid and closed-minded because what they see out in the world is bewildering and not easily understood. In other word. Is authoritarianism so pervasive today because we are in a state of VUCA-Plus? Given the analyses we have just offered regarding each of the six VUCA-Plus environmental characteristics, is it any wonder that some people chose to hide out and dwell in a world that is simple, consistent, clear and supported by authoritarian power and control?
While there is not a simple answer to this important question – how could there be simplicity in a VUCA-Plus world—there might be a complex answer that interweaves trait and state. We might find that some people are particularly vulnerable to acceptance of an authoritarian perspective. These proclivities might, in turn, be traced to their own childhood or even to some genetic determinants. These members of our society lead perfectly normal lives and are responsible citizens. They serve us food at our favorite restaurant, run our corporations and work in successful advertising agencies. It is only when they are confronted with specific VUCA-Plus challenges in their life that their authoritarian proclivities show up. It is when they are tired, stressed or simply overwhelmed by the daily events in their world, that there is a “regression” to this more primitive, fast-thinking mode.
