Authoritarians retain moral self-superiority through compartmentalized double standards

Evidence

Highs have a proven capacity to compartmentalize their thinking, to believe contradictory things, to adopt double standards, to shift their principles to justify what they want, and to avoid unpleasant insights into themselves. I suspect all of us tailor-fit the cloak of righteousness to our own behavior, and Highs can be at least as good at that as anyone else. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2509

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to cognitive dissonance research and Festinger’s theory of self-justification.
• DEFINE: Explains the psychological mechanism that lets authoritarians feel moral despite immoral behavior.