Authoritarians reason in isolated compartments without perspective-taking

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

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Authoritarian thinking features closed-mindedness, rigidity, and intolerance of ambiguity — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide: The Social…, 469; Rigid cognitive style drives authoritarianism but not prejudice directly — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide: The Social…, 471