Keyword – dominance versus prestige in rank acquisition

Pólya, Tamás:

Can the divisive rhetoric of authoritarian political leaders be overcome?

Authoritarian political leaders’ divisive rhetoric seems to rely on our proclivities and mechanisms developed in the course of human evolution. One’s political beliefs are both fundamental to and instrumental in securing one’s attachment to a group and thus in maintaining a stable identity. That explains why humans are open to political messages that reassure them about group affiliation, so much so that it is very difficult to change their political beliefs by offering them educative facts or information different from their own views (cf. 2020, 2019). However, once the inner logic of authoritarian politicians’ hostile and divisive rhetoric is laid bare, that kind of rhetoric becomes susceptible to be dismantled and overcome by those wanting to reject it. In my previous papers, I tried to identify the main obstacles of and chances for such anti-authoritarian communicative efforts. This article specifies further crucial elements of this integrative, peaceful communication approach—e.g. addressing the whole electoral group and forming alliances that cover differing electoral views—and discusses the differences between dominant and competent leaders.

Keywords: conciliatory political rhetoric, dominance versus prestige in rank acquisition, evolutionary psychology, group cohesion, political alliances, political communication, social rank