The Securitarian Personality

The Authoritarian Personality, which was published by Theordor Adorno and a set of colleagues in the 1950s, was the first broad-based empirical attempt to explain why certain individuals are attracted to the authoritarian, even fascist, leaders that dominated the political scene in the 1930s
and 1940s. Today, the concept has been applied to leaders ranging from Trump to Viktor Orban to Rodrigo Duterte. But is it really accurate to label Trump supporters as authoritarians?

In The Securitarian Personality, John R. Hibbing argues that an intense desire for authority is not central to those constituting Trump's base. Drawing from participant observation, focus groups, and especially an original, nationwide survey of the American public that included over 1,000 ardent
Trump supporters, Hibbing demonstrates that what Trump's base really craves is actually a specific form of security. Trump supporters do not strive for security in the face of all threats, such as climate change, Covid-19, and economic inequality, but rather only from those threats they perceive to
be emanating from human outsiders, defined broadly to include welfare cheats, unpatriotic athletes, norm violators, non-English speakers, religious and racial minorities, and certainly people from other countries. The central objective of these "securitarians" is to strive for protection for
themselves, their families, and their dominant cultural group from these embodied outsider threats.

A radical reinterpretation of the support for Trumpism, The Securitarian Personality not only provides insight into a political movement that many find baffling and frustrating, but offers a compelling thesis that all observers of American political behavior will have to contend with, even if they
disagree with it.

"This book identifies the core motivations of Donald Trump's strongest supporters. Previous research suggests that Trump's followers are authoritarians or even fascists-individuals who are comfortable only when a powerful person is controlling their lives and providing direction and certainty in the process. This book advances and empirically supports the thesis that what Trump's base craves is not authority but rather a specific form of security. The disposition of Trump's strongest supporters leads them to strive for security in the face of threats from members of out groups and they define out-groups broadly to include welfare cheats, unpatriotic athletes, norm violators, non-English speakers, people who subscribe to a non-majority religion, people not of the majority racial group, people who do not follow prevalent national customs, and certainly people from other countries. Fervent Trump supporters' primary purpose in life is to protect themselves, their families, and their larger cultural group from these outsider threats. A similar motivation is present in subpopulations around the world as can be seen in the Brexit vote in the U.K as well as the success of nativist candidates around the globe. By detailing these desires, this book makes it possible to understand a political movement that many people find baffling and frustrating, which in turn could make it easier for Trump's base and those who stridently oppose Trump to communicate with each other"--

"[T]his is an insightful psychological profile of the voters Trump is counting on in 2020." -- Publishers Weekly

"An illuminating look at the drivers of illiberal nativism - and of support for its chief modern exponent." -- Kirkus

"Trump enthusiasts are not who you think they are. In this smart, engaging psychological exploration, Hibbing punctures some popular stereotypes, shows us what really motivates them, and explains why they will be around long after President Trump exits the stage." -- Larry M. Bartels, May Werthan
Shayne Chair of Public Policy and Social Science, Vanderbilt University

"For years, John Hibbing has been one of the world's most fearless, creative, and adventurous political scientists, readily embracing and incorporating new discoveries in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral genetics. He needs all of that and more to understand the dedicated, fervent Trump
supporter. Hibbing's analysis -- based on extensive interviews, participant observation, and public opinion polls -- is extremely insightful and intuitively convincing. It is an outstanding, thought-provoking work of interdisciplinary scholarship." -- John T. Jost, Co-Director of the Center for Social
and Political Behavior and Professor, New York University, and author of A Theory of System Justification

"Foundational work on the psychology of politics tests what makes Trump venerators psychologically unique. Unlike prior accounts, Hibbing puts aside theories of economic bitterness, feelings of fear, and authoritarianism. Drawing instead on evolutionary and political psychology, Hibbing combines
insights from interviews and a unique survey to suggest that Trump venerators are continuing the evolutionary-long tradition of desiring security from outsiders. The first step to reducing the risks they pose to democratic processes, Hibbing suggests, is to understand that many of our fellow
citizens have a fundamentally different and securitarian approach towards perceived outsiders." -- Mark J. Brandt, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University

"John Hibbing set out to understand the motivations not of Trump voters, but of his fire-breathing base. In doing so, he has produced an original, nuanced, fair-minded, and fascinating empirical account of what he labels the 'securitarian personality.' Hibbing argues that securitarians define one
side of the most fundamental divide in modern societies. They will be a disruptive force in our politics well after Trump, one that must be understood and reckoned with. This important book makes compelling reading both for social scientists and Trump's strongest supporters and opponents." -- Thomas
E. Mann, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, and Resident Scholar, University of California, Berkeley