Authoritarians maintain beliefs by avoiding challenges and curating agreeable information sources.

Evidence

High RWAs generally have not determined for themselves what is true and false, to the extent that others have. Instead they are more likely to absorb the teachings of the authorities in their lives. They subsequently maintain their beliefs against challenges by limiting their experiences, and surrounding themselves with sources of information that will tell them they are right—including like-minded people. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 1436

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the echo-chamber and confirmation-bias literatures, and maps onto the ‘tight circles’ concept from earlier chapters of this same book.