50: The Threat of Authoritarianism to Democracy with John Dean

Jen Rubin's Green Room

John Dean discusses his study of authoritarian personalities and the lessons learned from Watergate. He explains that there are two approaches to understanding authoritarianism: studying the way authoritarian governments operate and studying the personality traits of those attracted to authoritarian leaders. Dean describes the traits of social dominators and right-wing authoritarian followers, as well as the enablers who support them. He emphasizes the importance of voting them out of power and the need for collaboration between the study of authoritarian governments and authoritarian personalities. Dean also discusses the challenges of changing the beliefs of authoritarian followers and the threat they pose to democracy.