If your preferred political choice these days is “none of the above,” rest assured this is not a symptom of apathy or indecision, but most likely a sign of robust mental health.
The political landscape in many Western countries, including Canada, has become increasingly polarized and extreme during the past decade. This shift to the ends of the political spectrum has left many of us feeling left out and disenfranchised.
Part of my executive coaching practice consists of working with leadership teams, and through these assignments I have become an avid student of group behaviour. The more I work with groups, the less satisfied I have become with the customary representation of political and social views as a straight line that spans from the progressive left to the conservative right.
My own experience, backed up by some credible research, suggests that “an authoritarian is an authoritarian,” irrespective of their political stripes.
A few political scientists have played with this idea, bending the spectrum into a horseshoe so that the extreme left and extreme right are almost touching at the ends. This model can lead to some uncomfortable conclusions. If you hold an absolute “my way or the highway” view on a variety of political or social issues, take a second and imagine that unconscionable person on the extreme opposite side of those same issues. What this horseshoe model suggests is that you might share more in common with that person than you would ever want to admit!
A recent article published in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology picked up on this idea and examined the similarities between left and right-wing authoritarianism. The study did acknowledge some subtle differences, but concluded there were many more similarities between left and right extremes. These similarities include a focus on social uniformity, moral absolutism and prejudiced and punitive thoughts toward perceived enemies.
