ABSTRACT
As the theory goes, the emotional dysfunctions of right-wing authoritarians are so pervasive that it affects their cognitive abilities. There is research suggesting that individuals afflicted with Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) are less able to engage in critical thinking. This chapter focuses on a couple of cognitive tests to see if those high on the Christian Dehumanization Scale are just as vulnerable as those with a high level of RWA to fail to apply critical thinking. Critical thinkers are theoretically open to alternative ideas and not trapped into previously developed concepts and ideas merely because those concepts and ideas are the way they thought in the past. In theory, a critical thinker can take in new evidence and come to new conclusions based on that evidence. Even if this new evidence challenges previously dear beliefs, the critical thinker is able to go where the evidence leads.
