ABSTRACT
Authoritarians are regularly assaultive and violent and even more often – sometimes constantly – in a state of barely suppressed near-violence. Authoritarians, who may or may not have any personal interest in abiding by rules, love rules for other people. The authoritarian's aggressive need to control is regularly the first attribute to which respondents point. The three cluster traits of aggression, exploitation, and narcissism come together in an authoritarian's need to dominate. He or she will dominate wherever it feels safe to dominate or wherever his or her hatred is greatest. Because they are full of hatred, authoritarians need to punish others. They are likely to advocate for capital punishment, for harsh punishment for all offenders, and to angle for punishment obliquely. One way to punish is to destroy. Authoritarians are destructive – toward individuals, toward whole groups, and toward objects, too.
