
Now the United States has a new president. How could it happen? From a Scandinavian perspective, many wonder why over 70 million American voters voted for Donald Trump - and apparently believe that such an authoritarian and dominant personality can "fix" the economy so that "everyone" is better off. In addition, he will stop the refugee flows to the USA, end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East in "no time" and "make America Great again".
It is said that voters thought the economy was better during his last presidency. But the truth is that much of the economic policy was a legacy of the decisions and strategies of the Democrat Barak Obama. At a strategic level, the rule of thumb is that the new leader only inherits the predecessor's decisions in the first year. In the second year, you start to be able to understand all the complex decisions about what needs to be made. Only in the third or fourth year do you start to be able to implement your own agenda.
But there is perhaps another, more psychological explanation. Humans are group creatures; we live in groups. In all groups we then create social hierarchies, where some of us gain greater prestige, influence, status and power. But how we do it depends on what attitudes and basic values we have. Together with Professor Jim Sidanius, Harvard University, Professor Bo Ekehammar and his team have shown that some of us see human relationships as equal, others see them more from a hierarchical perspective where we are either superior or subordinate to others.
These attitudes then influence the corporate culture. Even if you work in the same industry, the differences can be big. Some companies - or political parties - are hierarchical; it is the manager who decides. Other companies have a more egalitarian corporate culture. Even if the boss decides in the end, everyone gets to have a say, and it is an "open" environment where everyone gets to express their views.
This difference is crucial for whether you will enjoy yourself. So maybe it's as simple as Donald Trump's leadership style attracts people who submit and have a hierarchical view of people where you are superior or inferior. They thrive with "a strong leader" who decides for them. In such an environment, unfortunately, negative attitudes towards other groups – or political parties - are easily created.
Sources:
Sverigedemokrater litar mindre på andra. (9 mars 2016). Dagens Nyheter.
Montgomery, H., Sandgren, M., Gustafsson, P., Dimdins, G. (2015). Varför röstar vi som vi gör? Södertörns högskola.
Ekehammar, B. & Akrami, N. (2011). Fördomar – mer personligt än vi trott. Tvärsnitt, 11 (3-4), 28-31.].
Ekehammar, B. & Akrami, N. (2007). Personality and prejudice: From Big-Five personality factors to facets. Journal of Personality, 75, 899-926.
Comments