Authoritarian people share these 7 characteristics

Authoritarianism can be a trait that is difficult to live with.

The authoritarianism is more than just a form of government in which one person or a privileged few. Authoritarian people also exist; they are those who, consciously or unconsciously, tend to reproduce behaviors in which their own criteria are imposed on those of others without worrying about justifying why they should be obeyed.

Identifying authoritarian people is of relevance both outside the psychological intervention and within it. In the latter case, doing so makes it possible to establish a means of communication with them and to see together how this type of tendency can be corrected..

How to recognize authoritarian people

The way in which authoritarian people attempt to hold power and direct the decisions and actions of others can often go unnoticed. At the end of the day, many of them do not have the means to impose their will by force directly, so they try to influence others in ways that areSo they try to influence others in more subtle ways and in ways in which they themselves often do not necessarily realize how damaging their behavior is.

However, it is worth keeping in mind what the characteristics of authoritarian people are, both to identify them in others who might be a bad influence and to check the possibility that we ourselves fit, even partially, some of these descriptions.

Let's see what these fundamental traits of authoritarian people are.

1. The belief that one is right "by default".

A person's tendency towards authoritarianism can be detected if he/she directly or indirectly states that, in the absence of indications to the contrary, it is directly or indirectly states that, in the absence of indications to the contrary, he or she is the one who is right in all matters in general. in all matters in general.

The belief that it is oneself who is best able to decide how things should be and how others should be, coupled with past associations and learning in which this type of attitude has been rewarded, is the basis of this behavioral style.

2. Leadership is not questioned

Authoritarian people see the questioning of their own leadership as something personal, an offense. This is so because, by assuming as a fundamental belief that one is in charge and the rest obey, leadership is taken as something natural, i.e., it is normalized.In the same way that centuries ago the ability of kings and queens to command was not questioned and was valid by itself.

To question the fact that other people have to follow one's own instructions is seen as a transgression or something that has to be justified very well in order to be accepted as an exceptional fact.

3. Undervaluing the work and skills of others

In order for the belief that oneself has a special and "privileged" criterion to decide what needs to be done, it is necessary to maintain the illusion that the merits of others are not so special.. In other words, to avoid the cognitive dissonance of seeing that other people may be as or more capable than oneself to decide and act correctly, one must interpret their successes as the result of luck or else one must interpret them as partial successes.

For example, if a person obtains a university degree in the shortest possible time, a markedly authoritarian person may resort to the discourse that she knows more about the world outside the classroom, thus implying that she is still in a position to lecture the other on issues related to her career.

4. Showing merit

For the same reason that they tend to undervalue the merits and abilities of others, authoritarian people are especially prone to make their accomplishments visible and to draw attention to themselves. and draw attention to them. In this way, they themselves will keep in mind these superficial justifications as to why one has the authority oneself, and at the same time will draw the attention of others to these more or less exaggerated merits.

However, in those cases in which authoritarian people can exercise power without the need to seek even these minimal justifications, this characteristic may not be present. This occurs, for example, when someone has the material ability to bend others to his or her will, either by having greater physical strength or socioeconomic status that can be used to harm others.

5. Constant demands

Authoritarian people do not limit themselves to using this facility to manipulate others just to meet some objectives, but in many occasions end up falling into a dynamic in which they begin to demand many things of all kinds from others.. This is so because they learn that being authoritarian can be useful in the short term.

6. Tendency towards aggressiveness

The fact of demanding a lot of things from others creates situations of conflict and dissatisfaction, and it is in this type of phase that authoritarian people respond energetically to punish the other person so that the episodes of disobedience do not happen again. respond energetically to punish the other person so that the episodes of disobedience are not repeated.. 

These punishments need not be based on physical force, but can be expressed symbolically and verbally.

7. Authoritarianism in multiple contexts

Authoritarian people are not authoritarian only in certain contexts and not in others. Since their behavior is based on learning that has taken place in many different kinds of situations, they will try to impose their point of view in multiple contexts, they will try to impose their point of view in all varieties of possible scenarios..

Modifying authoritarian behavior

Just because we talk about authoritarian people does not mean that they always have to beIt is as if this adjective were a label that defines the deepest part of their personality.

By unlearning certain relationship dynamics and learning more adaptive ones, it is possible to become more tolerant, and many forms of psychological intervention can be helpful in providing tools to enable this change.