From a historical, socio-political angle, what we are witnessing now in the U.S., stemming from what has been labeled "Trumpism" by some political scientists, is not new. The intimidation and silencing of opposition; the attack on truth in the name of ideology; the increasingly toxic tribalism; the strategic and cynical demonizing of disagreeable “others;” the metastasizing moral and civic corruption; the bubbling violence in discourse and on the streets; the civic institutions bullied into compliance; the acquiescent courts; the cult of personality; the nihilistic march toward authoritarianism—it’s all been done before. We’ve seen it throughout history. The script is similar; the moves expected, as is the outcome. And yet the process can appear maddeningly unstoppable.

As I have written here before, psychologists have long been interested in this facet of our species’ internal architecture: the ability, willingness—even the urge and desire—to shed reason, rationality, civility, freedom, and tolerance in favor of a brutal fever dream of revenge, self-righteousness, destruction, and domination.

Part of the answer appears to reside in the tension inherent in our existence: On one hand, we are a curious species; we crave variety, novelty, and a variety of options and choices. Evolution, after all, only works in the context of diversity, of multiple, constantly competing adaptations from which the most effective is selected.

On the other hand, living amidst competition, diversity, complexity, and novelty also alarms us; a plurality of options and the attendant endemic........

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