A 2013 study by Jeremy Frimer and colleagues finds liberals and conservatives are equally willing to obey, but only when the authority aligns with their politics. Conservatives defer more to military and religious leaders; liberals defer more to civil rights activists and environmentalists; both obey similarly when the authority seems neutral. Treating 'authoritarianism' without naming the authority’s political valence confounds ideology with obedience.
— This reframes left–right psychology and improves how we measure and predict policy compliance, protest behavior, and institutional trust.
Tyler Cowen
2025.10.07
70% relevant
The study reports very small, inconsistent links between ideology and rigidity, and stronger effects for extremism, aligning with evidence that political psychology asymmetries depend on context (which authority/issue) rather than a blanket 'right is more rigid' claim.
Paul Bloom
2025.08.14
70% relevant
Bloom’s discussion of Milgram through modern reanalyses—where obedience rises when participants identify with the experimenter’s scientific mission and falls when given naked commands—parallels Frimer et al.’s finding that people obey authorities aligned with their values.
Steve Stewart-Williams
2025.08.06
100% relevant
Frimer et al. (2013) asked participants about obedience to both liberal and conservative authorities and found symmetrical deference by perceived legitimacy.