Authoritarian thinking is compartmentalized and lacks perspective-taking that underpins fairness.

Evidence

Similarly, High RWAs do not seem to consider matters from perspectives other than their own, or mentally reverse situations. They do not appear to wonder, when they belong to the majority, “Suppose I were in the minority. How would I feel if the schools were trying to make my kid believe in some other religion?” Or, “Would I say the same thing if the Conservatives were trying the same kind of intimidation?” So their thinking seems more ad hoc, more one-compartment-at-a-time, than Lows’ thinking does. Lows in turn show more interconnectedness, consistency, and fairness. Authoritarians are not as reflective, as systematic, as careful, or as principled as they themselves want to be. But again, they likely received little training in making their own decisions and evaluating things for themselves. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 1569 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Let me summarize this chapter with the observation that right-wing authoritarians have not caught some mysterious disease from outer space that affects their cognitive processes but leaves the rest of humanity untouched. They are not “them” while the rest of the world is “‘us.” Instead, I think they have just gotten an extra helping of some very common human weaknesses. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 1442 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Compartmentalized thinking leads authoritarians to apply inconsistent standards to similar acts; Authoritarians reason with measurably lower cognitive complexity than others.; Authoritarians fail to challenge their own contradictory reasoning — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 1566 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Authoritarians reason in isolated compartments without perspective-taking #corroborates (0.99) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 1569
• Authoritarians differ only in degree, not kind, from ordinary cognitive fallibility #complicates (0.76) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 1442