Study: ‘Dark ego’ on far left

Left-wing extremism is linked to toxic, psychopathic tendencies and narcissism, according to a study published to the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychology.

“Based on existing research, we expected individuals with higher levels of left-wing authoritarianism [LWA] to also report higher levels of narcissism,” authors Ann Krispenz and Alex Bertrams wrote.

They coined a new term for such psychological behavior: the “dark-ego-vehicle principle.”

“According to this principle, individuals with dark personalities — such as high narcissistic and psychopathic traits — are attracted to certain forms of political and social activism which they can use as a vehicle to satisfy their own ego-focused needs instead of actually aiming at social justice and equality,” they told PsyPost. “In particular, certain forms of activism might provide them with opportunities for positive self-presentation and displays of moral superiority, to gain social status, to dominate others, and to engage in social conflicts and aggression to satisfy their need for thrill seeking.”

They noted, “An individual high in LWA might declare anyone to be ‘old fashioned’ who is opposing their own ‘progressive values,’ strive to suppress free speech to regulate the expression of rightwing beliefs in educational institutions, and even endorse the use of violence to reach their own political goals.”

The authors added, “Minority groups should be made aware of the narcissistic ‘enemies’ from within,” saying that people of privileged backgrounds aligned with LWA often “hijack the cause thereby reducing the success of the activism.”

They made it clear authoritarianism exists on both sides of the political spectrum and that “there is a wide range of literature and research in the field of right-wing authoritarianism.”