Fascism’s psychology emerges first in childhood peer cruelty

Evidence

In a real sense, I ought to be able to deduce Fascism from the memories of my childhood. As a conqueror dispatches envoys to the remotest provinces, Fascism had sent its advance guard there long before it marched in: my schoolfellows. — Theodor W. Adorno, Minima Moralia, 215

Categorization

• SEED: An essay on how authoritarian social character forms in the schoolyard before politics: the advance-guard thesis as a diagnostic tool for contemporary extremism.
• XREF: Relates to The Authoritarian Personality (Adorno’s own empirical study) and to the concept of ‘character armor’ from Wilhelm Reich. — connects to: Psychoanalytic theorists explained fascism’s appeal via unconscious personality needs. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 100; Fascist followers’ masochism is fused with sadistic impulses — Theodor W. Adorno, The Culture Industry: Selected Essays…, 328; Fear learned in childhood drives authoritarian aggression (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Fear learned in childhood drives authoritarian aggression #corroborates (0.90)
• A permissive, secure childhood produces tolerant personalities, harsh discipline authoritarian ones #corroborates (0.84)
• Fascist followers’ masochism is fused with sadistic impulses #expands (0.82) — Theodor W. Adorno, The Culture Industry, 328
• Overtly punitive family socialization was theorized to produce authoritarian personality #expands (0.80) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 398
• Psychoanalytic theorists explained fascism’s appeal via unconscious personality needs. #expands (0.78) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 100