The Asymmetry of Authoritarianism: An Empirical Analysis of Left-Wing Authoritarian Tendencies and Political Polarization in Contemporary Democracy

This paper investigates the phenomenon of Left-Wing Authoritarianism (LWA) through an interdisciplinary analysis combining recent empirical research, political discourse examination, and theoretical frameworks related to democratic capitalism.Drawing on multiple large-scale studies involving more than 74,000 participants worldwide, the research demonstrates that left-wing authoritarianism is a measurable psychological construct, characterized by threat sensitivity, cognitive rigidity, restrictive norm enforcement, and a paradoxical lack of self-awareness regarding one’s own authoritarian tendencies. The study also analyzes asymmetries in ideological diversity between left- and right-wing orientations, explores the relationship between capitalism and democratic institutions, and assesses the implications for political polarization in contemporary democracies.Findings indicate that although authoritarianism appears across the political spectrum, left-wing authoritarians exhibit distinct patterns of self-perception that differentiate them from their right-wing counterparts, with significant consequences for democratic discourse and governance.