12 Dec 2025 – Psychology as a discipline, and the American Psychological Association as the world\u2019s largest organization of psychologists, has a core commitment to advancing human welfare through scientific rigor and ethical practice. APA\u2019s mission is to promote \u201cpsychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives.\u201d1 Similarly, APA\u2019s ethics code states:<\/p>\n
Psychologists are committed to increasing scientific and professional knowledge of behavior and people\u2019s understanding of themselves and others and to the use of such knowledge to improve the condition of individuals, organizations, and society. Psychologists respect and protect civil and human rights and the central importance of freedom of inquiry and expression in research, teaching, and publication. They strive to help the public in developing informed judgments and choices concerning human behavior.2<\/p>\n
While acknowledging the profession\u2019s past shortcomings in achieving these goals, today we bring this sense of responsibility and resolve to a moment of profound political and moral consequence here in the United States. We write to share our professional knowledge, so that our colleagues and the public gain a better understanding of the deeply disturbing psychological dimensions of authoritarianism. Its dangerous and destructive repercussions are now unfolding daily throughout this country, threatening the well-being \u2014 and the very survival \u2014 of individuals, communities, and the foundations of our democratic form of governance.<\/p>\n
We are not writing in support of any political party or candidate. Indeed, we recognize that both major political parties have fallen woefully short in establishing and nurturing a society where prosperity, justice, and equal opportunity prevail for all. At the same time, it is clear to us that anti-democratic pressures have now escalated significantly under the Trump administration, and we worry that the gravity of the current situation is not receiving the attention it deserves \u2014 from the public or from our profession.<\/p>\n
Guided by our ethical and scientific commitments and by our duty to oppose forces that dehumanize, divide, and destroy, we believe that we must not be silent at this time.
\nAuthoritarianism thrives on fear, disinformation, and the suppression of truth. Peace psychology compels us to name these threats and to work toward systems grounded in justice, empathy, and democratic participation.<\/p>\n
What follows is an overview of what we know about authoritarianism, its psychological underpinnings, its current manifestations, and the urgent need to confront the harm that has already been done and to curtail the suffering that still lies ahead.3 We are not claiming that the psychological phenomena we describe are unique to authoritarianism, nor are we suggesting that authoritarianism is distinguished only by its psychology. We are well aware that a full understanding of authoritarianism requires contributions from many disciplines, including political science, sociology, economics, and history, among others.<\/p>\n
What Is Authoritarianism?<\/strong><\/p>\n Authoritarianism describes a form of government where executive power is supreme; where independent civil society organizations are constrained and surveilled so as to reduce their willingness to challenge the state; where dissent is suppressed; where vulnerable communities are scapegoated; where elections, if held, are corrupted; where misinformation and disinformation are promoted; and where violence is often incited against opponents and \u201cundesirable\u201d communities.4 We believe there is a range of psychological phenomena that become a source of significantly greater concern when authoritarian conditions prevail \u2014 as they increasingly do today.7 Here, we\u00a0briefly describe six of them, along with a partial list of current distressing examples. It is our hope that readers will appreciate the insights gained from psychological research and will take meaningful action to prevent and mitigate the risks that authoritarianism poses to us all.<\/p>\n Propaganda<\/strong><\/p>\n Through decades of research, psychologists have learned that persuasion efforts often follow either of two paths.8 One route encourages us to carefully look at the facts and think through the arguments presented before deciding what makes sense. But it is the other route that is most frequently used by authoritarian leaders. They intentionally tap into our strong emotions, aiming to make us fearful, angry, or optimistic. By arousing our emotions, they lead us to ignore the actual quality of the arguments or \u201cevidence\u201d they are presenting. Under these circumstances, we become more susceptible to believing false or inaccurate information, which may be designed to mislead us.9 This is especially so when we are repeatedly exposed to that \u201cinformation.\u201d The use of propaganda has long been widespread, and it is certainly not new. However, it becomes potentially more dangerous when authoritarian leaders simultaneously suppress alternative sources of information.<\/p>\n In the current context, President Trump and members of his administration have routinely spread misinformation \u2014 on issues ranging from immigration to vaccines to climate change to election fraud and far beyond \u2014 triggering fear and outrage among ardent supporters and other members of the public.10 Often, these statements have vilified political adversaries. For example, Trump himself has described opposition leaders as \u201ccrazed,\u201d \u201ccheatin\u2019 dogs,\u201d \u201cthe enemy from within,\u201d and \u201ckamikaze pilots,\u201d and he has claimed \u201cthey hate our country.\u201d11 His press secretary has said that the Democratic Party is made up of \u201cHamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals.\u201d12 And a deputy chief of staff has described the opposition party as a \u201cdomestic extremist organization\u201d that is \u201cdevoted exclusively to the defense of hardened criminals, gangbangers, and illegal alien killers and terrorists.\u201d13 These instances illustrate the purpose that often lies behind the use of propaganda by authoritarian leaders: to inflame emotion, distort reality, and erode the shared trust on which democracy depends. In short, they are not the type of pronouncements one sees from political leaders who are committed to principles of democratic governance.<\/p>\n Conformity and Obedience<\/strong><\/p>\n Psychologists have intensively studied conformity and obedience since shortly after World War II and the horrors committed by Nazi Germany.14 Their research findings have shown that we are often motivated to conform so as not to lose a sense of belonging to a group, and to avoid the insecurity that might follow. At the same time, we often choose to obey so as not to be disrespectful to those in positions of power and due to concerns about possible retribution. These everyday inclinations, driven in part by fear or the need for security, transcend specific political environments. But they are likely to carry heightened influence and consequence when the stakes of non-compliance and disobedience intensify and widen, as is the case under authoritarian regimes.<\/p>\n Consider several contemporary examples. With support from adherents to his \u201cMake America Moral Disengagement<\/strong><\/p>\n Psychologists have documented that people use a wide range of rationalizations, various forms of moral disengagement, to justify their own wrongful behavior and to escape feelings of remorse for the harm they have done.19 Among the most common of these psychological mechanisms are moral justification, in which we claim that our actions serve a greater good; euphemistic labeling, in which we sanitize our language to disguise and minimize our wrongdoing; dehumanization, in which we portray those we treat cruelly as less than human and thereby distance ourselves from their hurt; misattribution of blame, in which we hold the victims of our actions responsible for their own suffering; advantageous comparison, in which we claim that the wrongful things we do are not as bad as what others do or have done; displacement of responsibility, in which we claim that we are only following orders or that it is someone else\u2019s responsibility; and minimization of consequences, in which we downplay or even deny the adverse effects experienced by those we harm. These moral disengagement rationalizations are routinely used by authoritarian leaders to reduce resistance to their harmful agenda.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has adopted these tactics on multiple fronts and in doing so has heightened pre-existing injustices.20 For instance, they have used moral justification to terminate DEI programs, claiming that their actions are \u201cmaking America great\u201d by correcting both Dehumanization<\/strong><\/p>\n Psychologists have extensively studied the disturbing phenomenon of dehumanization, the process by which some people and groups are viewed and treated as less than fully human.25 Prejudice and discrimination \u2014 based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and disability or other characteristics \u2014 often lie behind the dehumanization of others. Those perceived as less than human are considered less deserving of dignity, care, and respect and more deserving of exclusion, exploitation, and abuse.26 Psychologically, it becomes easier to mistreat people \u2014 including portraying them through demeaning language and imagery \u2014 when they are viewed as inferior, subhuman and, in its most extreme form, nonhuman. In this way, dehumanization can remove moral taboos and thereby encourage horrific acts of humiliation, cruelty, brutality, and even genocide.27 Among their followers, authoritarian leaders often successfully promote this degrading perception of those they consider adversaries, heightening the likelihood of violence.28<\/p>\n The Trump administration\u2019s dehumanization of people of color and other communities it views as inferior and \u201cother\u201d is widespread.29 Still, it is perhaps most consistently apparent in the harsh and often brutal treatment of immigrants. During last year\u2019s presidential debate, Trump memorably and baselessly warned that Haitian immigrants were eating the pets of their neighbors.30 At other times, he has described unauthorized immigrants with words and phrases such as \u201ccriminals,\u201d \u201crapists,\u201d \u201cpoisoning the blood of our country,\u201d \u201cfrom insane asylums,\u201d \u201canimals,\u201d and \u201cnot human.\u201d31 Since returning to the White House, Trump has used this dehumanizing rhetoric to facilitate a violent crackdown on immigrant and racialized communities.32 Masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have terrorized neighborhoods with large-scale immigration sweeps, engaging in racial profiling, grabbing and incarcerating people without due process, and assaulting onlookers who get in the way.33 Trump has gone so far as to call in National Guard troops to California, Illinois, and Oregon \u2014 against the wishes of the governors of those states \u2014 falsely claiming they are necessary to quell \u201cout-of-control protests\u201d and to protect ICE agents and facilities.34 At the same time, the treatment of detained immigrants further dehumanizes them and is sometimes deadly.35<\/p>\n Inhumane conditions are commonplace at detention centers: overcrowding, extreme temperatures, neglect and abuse, indifference to medical needs, and disregard for distraught family members.36 And many of these immigrants have been deported to countries known for heightened levels of poverty, violence, and instability, where previously they have been persecuted and continue to be at risk.37 Such examples demonstrate how dehumanization strips people of dignity, normalizes cruelty, and erases the empathy on which our shared humanity and democracy depend. Dehumanization of this magnitude is not seen in stable democracies.<\/p>\n Systemic Racism<\/strong><\/p>\n Psychologists have played an important role in illuminating the prevalence and dynamics of systemic racism.38 These entrenched and often under-recognized policies and practices \u2014 in\u00a0contexts ranging from criminal justice to education to housing and well beyond \u2014 bestow significant advantages on white people over people of color. They have been a disturbing reality in the United States ever since the country\u2019s founding. Psychological research has shown that people tend to believe that significant differences in power between racial groups are the way things are supposed to be even when they themselves are the ones disadvantaged by these unjust disparities.39 Similarly, mistakenly believing that longstanding inequalities are justified because otherwise they would not exist can lead us to think that unearned privileges are based on merit when in fact they are not.40 Authoritarian leaders take advantage of these biases when they argue for a return to the \u201cnatural order\u201d of things.41<\/p>\n Actions of the Trump administration deny and exacerbate the reality of systemic racism in the United States.42 DEI initiatives have been shut down under the guise of promoting a \u201ccolorblind and merit-based\u201d society \u2014 despite decades of psychological research demonstrating that colorblind racial ideology exacerbates inequality and meritocracy is a myth used to justify the status quo.43 The work of the Department of Justice\u2019s Civil Rights Division has been sharply curtailed, hampering voting rights protections for historically marginalized groups.44 An executive order has undercut decades-old legislation aimed at preventing discrimination, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.45 Content highlighting the struggles and achievements of Black and Native Americans has been scrubbed from federal museums, landmarks, and websites.46 The administration has abandoned civil rights investigations that had been established in order to hold law enforcement departments accountable for police violence against Black people.47 And while on the campaign trail last year, Trump pledged to fight what he described as \u201ca definite anti-white feeling in this country.\u201d48 Each example illustrates how systemic racism sustains inequality, distorts justice, and corrodes the very ideals of fairness and equity that democracy demands. These are simply not the actions of a government committed to ensuring equal opportunity for all.<\/p>\n Perceived Helplessness<\/strong><\/p>\n Research by psychologists has found that feelings of helplessness \u2014 whether held by an individual or by a group \u2014 pose a significant obstacle to success in any undertaking.49 Those who lack confidence in their capabilities are more likely to give up and abandon their goals, and they do not bounce back as resiliently when their efforts prove unproductive. In this way, believing that we cannot control important outcomes in our lives can lead to resignation, which can destroy our motivation to work toward crucial personal and collective objectives.50 This belief that our actions are futile and that adversity cannot be overcome is something we fight hard to resist. But if we reach that demoralizing conclusion, the effects can be paralyzing and difficult to reverse. Knowing that feelings of helplessness have a major impact on the choices we make and the effort we are willing to expend, authoritarian leaders often manipulate our perceptions of what might be possible through collective action.51 This is why perceived helplessness and lack of control \u2014 especially when widely shared \u2014 make it easier for a small minority to control a much larger group, readily maintaining an oppressive and unjust status quo because active resistance is absent and voices of opposition are silent.<\/p>\n Today, we see the Trump administration repeatedly taking steps to simultaneously demonstrate its own power and instill a sense of helplessness in those who oppose its agenda.52 These actions have included disregard for legal orders blocking its unlawful initiatives; crackdowns on universities and non-profits that fail to abide by its demands, thus limiting free speech; retaliatory criminal complaints filed against political adversaries; threats to use U.S. cities as \u201ctraining grounds for our military;\u201d efforts to quell criticism from journalists and talk show hosts; and frequent social media posts that ridicule those who question or protest its authority.53 In these ways and more, authoritarianism breeds helplessness and weakens resistance, saps hope, and erodes the collective power on which a free society depends. None of these tactics is characteristic of political leadership that has an abiding respect for the public\u2019s legal and civil rights.<\/p>\n Meeting the Current Moment: Our Call to Action<\/strong><\/p>\n In this statement, we have drawn upon decades of research by psychologists to demonstrate the role that psychological phenomena are playing in the distressing shift toward authoritarianism in the United States today.54 We not only consider it our responsibility to illuminate these patterns of thought and behavior \u2014 and their dire consequences \u2014 for our colleagues and the general public. We are also convinced that our professional knowledge and moral outrage must be directed into concrete efforts aimed at preventing and resisting authoritarianism\u2019s destructive repercussions.55 Toward this end, below we describe a range of strategies and actions that we believe can generate and sustain positive social change.<\/p>\n Most directly relevant to our own professional communities, psychologists must collectively support and advocate for institutional courage.56 This means demanding that leaders of our organizations uphold and defend \u2014 both publicly and internally \u2014 academic freedom, civil rights, and democratic values through public statements and through the development of binding resolutions that prevent and curtail the current administration\u2019s attacks on the independence of our institutions.57 Leadership accountability must also be guaranteed through mechanisms such as internal reviews and audits, and the implementation of task forces or working groups that can monitor and report potential failures to defend our communities.58<\/p>\n We encourage academic institutions to follow current legal recommendations and to develop and implement specifically tailored policies and programs aimed at protecting and supporting their own members.59 They should pursue these same commitments in relation to the communities and individuals they serve, particularly the ones who are currently being targeted by the Trump administration.60 We especially note the responsibility of institutional authorities and those who have more relative privilege and power to advocate, speak up, and support those currently at greatest risk of persecution.<\/p>\n More broadly, psychologists must also organize as a community to facilitate effective collective action that challenges social injustice and safeguards human rights.61 Through a wide range of strategies and tactics, we must confront authoritarianism and prevent its damaging consequences.62 For instance, through public and civic education psychologists can promote reflexive thought and critical consciousness, paving the path to diverse ways of countering authoritarian repression.63<\/p>\n We further believe that this shared effort must actively involve and engage the communities with whom we work and to which we belong. Mutual support and reciprocity can be strengthened\u00a0 through relational and network organizing and horizontal solidarity, thereby enabling communities to discover their own approaches for resisting oppression.64 Examples may include participating in protests against the current administration, boycotting companies that promote or benefit from its authoritarian agenda, signing petitions and statements, and other types of collective actions to protect our democracy.65 In addition, seemingly small and subtle acts of \u201ceveryday resistance,\u201d which may pass unnoticed, can also undermine oppressive power structures.66 We are convinced that, together, we must meet this moment. Through the power of collective action, radical hope, and ethics of care, we can resist the Trump administration\u2019s authoritarian agenda and forestall its harmful and dangerous consequences.67<\/p>\n There is no time to delay.<\/p>\n Endnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n 1 American Psychological Association. (n.d.). https:\/\/www.apa.org\/about:: 5 Adorno, T. W., Frenkel-Brunswik, E., Levinson, D. J., & Sanford, R. N. (1950). The authoritarian personality. New York: Harper & Row. https:\/\/www.versobooks.com\/products\/804-the-authoritarian-personality; Altemeyer, B. (1981). Right-wing authoritarianism. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press. https:\/\/uofmpress.ca\/books\/right-wing-authoritarianism; G\u00f8tzsche-Astrup, O., & Hogg, M. A. (2024). 6 Osborne, D., Costello, T. H., Duckitt, J., & Sibley, C. G. (2023). The psychological causes and societal consequences of authoritarianism. Nature Reviews Psychology, 2(4), 220\u2013232. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s44159-023-00161-4 8 Bernays, E. L. (1928). Propaganda. Horace Liveright; Petty, R.E. & Cacioppo, J.T. (1986). The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 19, 123-205. http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/S0065-2601(08)60214-2; Pratkanis, A. R., & Aronson, E. (1992). Age of propaganda: The everyday use and abuse of persuasion. W.H. Freeman; Cialdini, R. B. (2008). Influence (5th ed.). Pearson. 10 Baker, P. (November 3, 2024). \u201cTrump\u2019s wild claims, conspiracies and falsehoods redefine presidential bounds.\u201d New York Times. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/03\/us\/politics\/trump-falsehoods-claims-election.html; Myers, S. L., & Thompson, S. A. (March 24, 2025). \u201cIn his second term, Trump fuels a \u2018machinery\u2019 of misinformation.\u201d New York Times. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/24\/business\/trump-misinformation-false-claims.html; Kessler, G. 11 Wise, L., Thomas, K., & Stech Ferek, K. (September 25, 2025). \u201cDemocrats dig in on shutdown stance after White House threatens to fire workers.\u201d Wall Street Journal. https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/policy\/democrats-dig-in-on-shutdown-stance-after-white-house- threatens-to-fire-workers-3825a120; Dale, D. (October 10, 2024). \u201cFact check: Trump, on lying spree, made at least 40 separate false claims in two Pennsylvania speeches.\u201d CNN Politics. https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/10\/10\/politics\/fact-check-trump-pennsylvania-speeches; Marquez, A. 15 Ewing, G. R. (April 17, 2025). \u201c\u2018We are all afraid: Murkowski says fear of retaliation from Trump is \u2018real\u2019.\u201d 17 Jayaretnam, M. (April 1, 2025). \u201cThese are the students targeted by Trump\u2019s immigration enforcement over campus activism.\u201d Time. https:\/\/time.com\/7272060\/international-students-targeted-trump-ice-detention-deport-campus-palestinian-activism\/; O\u2019Connor, M. (April 17, 2025). \u201cHere\u2019s where pro- 18 Fonrouge, G., Constantino, A. K., Josephs, L., Levy, A., Lucas, A., Repko, M., Son, H., & Wayland, M. (April 23, 2025). \u201cCorporate America shelled out millions for Trump\u2019s inauguration. Now he\u2019s upending many of their businesses.\u201d CNBC. https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/04\/23\/trump-inauguration-donors-include-meta-amazon-target-delta-ford.html; Murray, C., & Bohannan, M. (April 11, 2025). \u201cIBM reportedly walks back diversity policies, citing \u2018inherent tensions\u2019: Here are all the companies rolling back DEI programs.\u201d Forbes. https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/conormurray\/2025\/04\/11\/ibm-reportedly-walks-back-diversity-policies-citing-inherent-tensions-here-are-all-the-companies-rolling-back-dei-programs\/ 22 The White House (January 29, 2025). Ending radical indoctrination in k-12 schooling. https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/ending-radical-indoctrination-in-k-12-schooling\/ https:\/\/www.vox.com\/science-and-health\/2017\/3\/7\/14456154\/dehumanization-psychology-explained; Smith, D. L. (2011). Less than human: Why we demean, enslave, and exterminate others. St. Martin’s Press.<\/p>\n 26 Opotow, S. (1990). Moral exclusion and injustice: An introduction. Journal of Social Issues, 46(1), 1\u2013 28 Byman, D. (April 9, 2021). \u201cHow hateful rhetoric connects to real-world violence.\u201d Brookings.<\/p>\n How hateful rhetoric connects to real-world violence<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nBeginning with the rise of fascism in Nazi Germany almost a century ago, psychologists have made crucial contributions to the study of authoritarianism.5 They have found that authoritarian leaders often gain their power and influence by stoking and preying upon the public\u2019s fears and insecurities, even devising newly-imagined threats and then confidently offering \u201csolutions\u201d that are promised to restore safety and order. Research by psychologists has also increased our understanding of authoritarian followers. They tend to see the world as a dangerous place and, as a result, they are strongly inclined to support and obey authority figures, to act aggressively against anyone who violates their group\u2019s norms, and to deeply value what they see as tradition and convention. These dynamics stifle openness to difference and discourage the freedom of thought and expression that allow people and communities to thrive. Of greatest concern, psychologists have found that authoritarian leaders and followers tend to endorse anti-democratic policies; to support violence for achieving political aims; to hold prejudiced views toward minority groups and immigrants; and to support violations of human rights.6<\/p>\n
\nGreat Again\u201d agenda, President Trump has regularly taken steps to instill fear in both his allies and\u00a0his adversaries, warning followers not to step out of line and demonstrating to rivals that there is a heavy price to pay for defying him. For example, politicians in his party who fail to conform face the prospect of primary challengers more aligned with the president and the heightened risk of losing their seats in the next election cycle.15 Far more extreme, during the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, Trump supporters called for then Vice President Mike Pence to be hanged for failing to obey and subvert the election results \u2014 with multiple insiders later reporting that the president seemingly approved.16 Meanwhile, individuals with contrary views who have
\nresisted the White House\u2019s crackdown on free speech on college campuses have faced severe repercussions, particularly students who have been arrested and threatened with deportation for protesting against Israel\u2019s assault on Gaza and in support of Palestinian rights.17 At the same time, many major corporations made large financial contributions to Trump\u2019s inauguration events and have now rolled back their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives to avoid running afoul of Trump\u2019s good graces.18 All of these actions illustrate how conformity and obedience can be used to instill fear, enforce loyalty, and weaken dissent. Expectations for unquestioning conformity and obedience are more characteristic of a dictatorship than a democracy.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cshameful discrimination\u201d against White Americans and the waste of precious financial resources.21 They have relied on euphemistic labeling, advancing \u201cpatriotic education\u201d and ending \u201cradical indoctrination\u201d as the rationale for requiring that school curricula no longer include material related to the country\u2019s fraught history of slavery and racial injustice, as well as banning contemporary positive representations of different minority groups, such as trans people.22 In unleashing the U.S. military on American soil, they have turned to misattribution of blame, falsely insisting that these steps are necessary because the targeted cities have become overrun by crime, anarchy, and \u201cinsurrection.\u201d23 And through minimization of consequences, they have downplayed or denied the dangers associated with curtailing workplace health and safety standards, reducing environmental protections, and gutting scientific and regulatory enforcement agencies and staff.24 These examples illustrate how moral disengagement can be used to excuse harm, to disguise\u00a0injustice, and to make cruelty seem acceptable. Psychological rationalizations like these all serve to make an authoritarian agenda appear more morally palatable, despite the drastic and many times irrevocable harm that it causes.<\/p>\n
\n2 American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
\nhttps:\/\/www.apa.org\/ethics\/code
\n3 Editorial Board. (October 31, 2025). \u201cAre we losing our democracy?\u201d The New York Times. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2025\/10\/31\/opinion\/trump-autocracy-democracy-report.html
\n4 Ben-Ghiat, R. (2020). Strongmen: Mussolini to the present. W. W. Norton; Dresden, J., Baird, A., & Raderstorf, B. (2022). The authoritarian playbook. Protect Democracy. https:\/\/protectdemocracy.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Authoritarian-Playbook-Updated.pdf; Langfitt, F. (2025, April 22). \u201cHundreds of scholars say U.S. is swiftly heading toward authoritarianism.\u201d NPR. https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/04\/22\/nx-s1-5340753\/trump-democracy-authoritarianism-competive-survey-political-scientist; American Psychological Association. (February 2024). APA Resolution on Combating Misinformation and Promoting Psychological Science Literacy. https:\/\/www.apa.org\/about\/policy\/combating-misinformation-promoting-literacy.pdf; American\u00a0Psychological Association. (n.d.) \u201cMisinformation and disinformation.\u201d
\nhttps:\/\/www.apa.org\/topics\/journalism-facts\/misinformation-disinformation<\/p>\n
\nPsychology of authoritarianism. In A. Wolf (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Authoritarian Politics (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/edited-volume\/55828\/chapter-abstract\/444218502<\/p>\n
\n7 Levitsky, S., Way, L, & Ziblatt, D. (May 8, 2025). \u201cHow will we know when we have lost our democracy?\u201d New York Times. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/05\/08\/opinion\/trump-authoritarianism-democracy.html; Bright Line Watch. (2025). Accelerated transgressions in the second Trump presidency. https:\/\/brightlinewatch.org\/accelerated-transgressions-in-the-second-trump-presidency\/; The Steady State. (October 16, 2025). \u201cAccelerating authoritarian dynamics: Assessment of democratic decline.\u201d Substack newsletter. The Steady State. https:\/\/steadystate1.substack.com\/p\/accelerating-authoritarian-dynamics<\/p>\n
\n9 American Psychological Association. (March 1, 2024). \u201cWhat psychological factors make people
\nsusceptible to believe and act on misinformation?\u201d https:\/\/www.apa.org\/topics\/journalism-facts\/misinformation-belief-action; Martel, C., Pennycook, G., & Rand, D. G. (2020). Reliance on emotion promotes belief in fake news. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 5:47. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s41235-020-00252-3<\/p>\n
\n(April 30, 2025). \u201cOne hundred days of Trump 2.0: Falsehood after falsehood, again and again.\u201d Washington Post. https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2025\/04\/30\/trump-falsehoods-100-days-time-magazine\/; Qiu, L. (April 29, 2025). \u201cIn breakneck 2nd term, Trump turns to falsehoods to justify his agenda.\u201d New York Times. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/29\/us\/politics\/trump-100-days-fact-check.html; Dale, D. (August 29, 2025). \u201cFact check: 10 debunked lies Donald Trump has repeated in the last week alone.\u201d CNN Politics. https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/08\/29\/politics\/fact-check-trump-ukraine-inflation; Walling, M., & Borenstein, S. (September 25, 2025). \u201cTrump called climate change a \u2018con job\u2019 at the United Nations. Here are the facts.\u201d PBS. https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/trump-called-climate-change-a-con-job-at-the-united-nations-here-are-the-facts-and-context; Gelfand, M. (January 2, 2020).
\n\u201cAuthoritarian leaders thrive on fear. We need to help people feel safe.\u201d The Guardian. https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2020\/jan\/02\/authoritarian-leaders-people-safe-voters<\/p>\n
\n(October 13, 2024). \u201c\u2018The enemy from within\u2019: Trump calls Democrats more dangerous than U.S. foreign adversaries.\u201d NBC News. https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/-enemy-trump-claims-democrats-are-dangerous-us-foreign-adversaries-rcna175198; Colombo, M. (October 19, 2025). \u201cTrump calls Democrats \u2018kamikaze pilots\u2019 as shutdown standoff hits third week with no end in sight.\u201d Fox News. https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/trump-calls-democrats-kamikaze-pilots-washington-standoff-hits-third-week-no-end-sight; Timotija, F. (July 4, 2025). \u201cTrump on Democrats who voted against GOP megabill: \u2018I hate them.\u2019\u201d The Hill. https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/5385217-trump-on-democrats-who-voted-against-gop-megabill-i-hate-them\/
\n12 Parnes, A., & Samuels, B. (October 21, 2025). \u201cTrump\u2019s attacks on \u2018No Kings\u2019 underscore his second term\u2019s unofficial mottoes.\u201d The Hill. https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/5563903-trump-rhetoric-attacks-democrats\/
\n13 Izzo, J. (August 30, 2025). \u201cStephen Miller called Democratic Party a \u2018domestic, extremist organization.\u2019\u201d
\nSnopes. https:\/\/www.snopes.com\/\/fact-check\/stephen-miller-democrats-extremist\/
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\n16 Haberman, M., & Broadwater, L. (May 25, 2022). \u201cTrump said to have reacted approvingly to Jan. 6 chants about hanging Pence.\u201d New York Times. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/05\/25\/us\/politics\/trump-pence-jan-6.html; Bella, T. (June 10, 2022). Cheney states Trump said on Jan. 6 that Pence \u2018deserves\u2019 to be hanged. Washington Post. https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2022\/06\/10\/jan6-trump-pence-deserves-hanged-cheney-capitol\/<\/p>\n
\nPalestine protesters face the harshest charges.\u201d The Appeal. https:\/\/theappeal.org\/pro-palestine-campus-protesters-harshest-charges\/<\/p>\n
\n19 Opotow, S. (1990). Moral exclusion and injustice: An introduction. Journal of Social Issues, 46, 173-182. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1540-4560.1990.tb00280.x; Deutsch, M. (1990). Psychological roots of moral exclusion. Journal of Social Issues, 46(1), 21\u201325; Bandura, A. (1999). Moral disengagement in the perpetration of inhumanities. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3, 193-209; Bandura, A.
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\n20 Rasul, M. E., Halversen, A., & Smith, J. (2025). \u201cWhen you\u2019re a star, they let you do it\u201d: Trump, Twitter, and moral disengagement. Communication and the Public, 20570473251314521. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/20570473251314521
\n21 The White House. (January 21, 2025). Ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing. https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing\/; Legal Defense Fund, Lambda Legal, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, National Women\u2019s Law Center, and National Center for Lesbian Rights (n.d.). \u201cTrump\u2019s executive orders on diversity, equity, and inclusion, explained.\u201d https:\/\/civilrights.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/LDF-FactSheet-Anti-DEIA-EOs_202501.pdf<\/p>\n
\n23 Jansen, B. (October 28, 2025). \u201c\u2018More than the National Guard.\u2019 Trump warns of more troops in US cities.\u201d USA TODAY. https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/10\/28\/trump-national-guard-deployment-us-cities\/86942893007\/; Kamisar, B. (October 10, 2025). \u201cCourt rulings, anti-ICE protests,
\nDemocrats: What the Trump administration sees as \u2018insurrection.\u2019\u201d NBC News. https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/donald-trump\/trump-administration-insurrection-rcna235953
\n24 McNicholas, C., Poydock, M., & Sanders, S. (July 10, 2025). \u201cTrump\u2019s Department of Labor is dismantling key workplace protections.\u201d Economic Policy Institute. https:\/\/www.epi.org\/blog\/trumps-department-of-labor-is-dismantling-key-workplace-protections\/; Feldscher, K. (September 16, 2025). \u201cTrump administration plans to roll back EPA regulations could harm health.\u201d Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https:\/\/hsph.harvard.edu\/news\/trump-administration-plans-to-roll-back-epa-regulations-could-harm-health\/; Barbati-Dajches, J. (May 29, 2025). \u201cTrump\u2019s executive order puts science under the thumb
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\n25 Kteily, N. S., & Landry, A. P. (2022). Dehumanization: Trends, insights, and challenges. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 26(3), 222\u2013240. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.tics.2021.12.003; Fiske S. T. (2009). From dehumanization and objectification to rehumanization: Neuroimaging studies on the building blocks of empathy. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1167, 31\u201334. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1749-6632.2009.04544.x; Resnick, B. (March 7, 2017). \u201cThe dark psychology of dehumanization, explained.\u201d Vox.<\/p>\n
\n20. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1540-4560.1990.tb00268.x
\n27 United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights. (September 16, 2025). \u201cIsrael has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, UN Commission finds.\u201d https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/press-releases\/2025\/09\/israel-has-committed-genocide-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds<\/p>\n