The Oslo attack was an example of Authoritarian beliefs, not just right wing politics.

[GliderGuider]

It seems to me that what we are facing is not necessarily a politically "right-wing" phenomenon, though at the moment that's where it seems to be centered. What we are seeing in Breivik is a distillation of the authoritarian mindset that has been rising throughout the world in phases for most of this century.

Robert Altemeyer, a retired Professor of Psychology at the University of Manitoba has written extensively on authoritarianism and refined the theory into the concept (and measure) of Right Wing Authoritarianism.

Right Wing Authoritarianism

Right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) is a personality and ideological variable studied in political, social, and personality psychology. It is defined by three attitudinal and behavioral clusters which correlate together:

1. Authoritarian submission — a high degree of submissiveness to the authorities who are perceived to be established and legitimate in the society in which one lives.
2. Authoritarian aggression — a general aggressiveness directed against deviants, outgroups, and other people that are perceived to be targets according to established authorities.
3. Conventionalism — a high degree of adherence to the traditions and social norms that are perceived to be endorsed by society and its established authorities, and a belief that others in one's society should also be required to adhere to these norms.

The terminology of authoritarianism, right-wing authoritarianism, and authoritarian personality tend to be used interchangeably by psychologists, though inclusion of the term "personality" may indicate a psychodynamic interpretation consistent with the original formulation of the theory.

The "right wing" in right-wing authoritarianism does not necessarily refer to someone's politics, but to psychological preferences and personality. It means that the person tends to follow the established conventions and authorities in society. In theory, the authorities could have either right-wing or left-wing political views.

Altemeyer has written an excellent and very readable book on the subject, that is freely available. It is highly recommended to anyone who wants to understand what we are up against: The Authoritarians (PDF)

[sudopod]

1. GET OUT OF MY HEAD CHARLES!

Great point!

[patrice]

2. Yep! It's a class of process patterns. Templates for how to address the world.

That's the problem. Politics can reinforce & reward it, but it's not the cause.

[sudopod]

3. kick nt