Trump Supporters Believe They Are Both Superior And Victims At The Same Time.

Trump Supporters Believe They Are Both Superior And Victims At The Same Time. Science Explains Why.Most people assume Trump supporters are motivated by economic anxiety. Or racism. Or a hatred of elites.The research tells a completely different story.In 2009, psychologist Agnieszka Golec de Zavala at Goldsmiths University of London identified a specific psychological pattern she had seen in authoritarian movements throughout history. She called it collective narcissism. And what she found changed how researchers understood political radicalization entirely.What Collective Narcissism Actually IsCollective narcissism is not the same as individual narcissism. It is not about thinking you personally are superior. It is about believing your group is exceptional, entitled to special treatment, and destined for greatness. But also believing that nobody recognizes it. That outsiders are conspiring to destroy it. That the group is simultaneously the greatest and the most persecuted.The superiority and the victimhood exist at the same time. And each one feeds the other.Trump supporters believe America is the greatest country in the world. And that immigrants, minorities, liberals, and the media are actively destroying it. Both things simultaneously. That is not a contradiction to them. That is the entire point.What The Research Actually FoundIn 2018, Federico and Golec de Zavala published a landmark study in Public Opinion Quarterly using national survey data from the 2016 presidential election. They wanted to know what actually predicted a vote for Trump when you controlled for everything else researchers already knew about.What they found was striking.Collective narcissism was the second strongest predictor of voting for Trump in 2016. Second only to party affiliation. It was stronger than economic anxiety. Stronger than racial resentment. Stronger than sexism. Stronger than authoritarianism.It was not about jobs. It was not about trade deals. It was about a group of people who needed someone to tell them they were exceptional and that their enemies were the reason they had not been recognized for it yet.Trump gave them both. Every single rally. Every single tweet. Every single executive order.Why This Makes People DangerousGolec de Zavala’s research found something even more disturbing than the voting data.Collective narcissists will support a leader breaking the law, overturning elections, and using violence to stay in power as long as that leader keeps promising to restore the group’s greatness.After January 6th, researchers surveyed Trump supporters about the Capitol attack. Collective narcissism was directly associated with support for the riot. Supporters described the rioters as true Americans motivated by love of freedom and justice.January 6th was not a surprise to researchers who understood this psychology. It was a prediction that came true.The Formula Is Always The SameThis is not stupidity. This is a specific psychological condition that has been used to radicalize populations throughout history.The formula is always identical.Tell a group they are exceptional. Tell them they are under attack. Give them an enemy.Every authoritarian movement in history that used this playbook eventually collapsed under the weight of its own lies.And this one will too.Sources* Agnieszka Golec de Zavala et al. — Collective Narcissism and Its Social Consequences — Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2009)* Christopher Federico and Agnieszka Golec de Zavala — Collective Narcissism and the 2016 US Presidential Vote — Public Opinion Quarterly (2018)* Keenan and Golec de Zavala — Collective Narcissism and Weakening of American Democracy — Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy (2021) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lucasbean.substack.com/subscribe