Why are people antagonistic

In sum, the researchers found support for their hypothesis that individuals higher in antagonistic personality are more likely to tolerate and possess positive feelings towards individuals who intentionally harm others.

This can be explained by the findings that people are more lenient towards those they feel similar to. Conversely, antagonistic individuals feel higher moral outrage to those who harm unintentionally.

This is partially explained by their lack of relatedness to these individuals, as well as their moral judgement deficiencies. Back Oh, Behave a blog. A Bunch of BS a podcast. In the NEWS. They may not know each other, but often they touch the same winds, they step on the same leaves, their looks are lost in the same horizons. Likewise, Miller said, "there is data that shows that when two antagonistic people get together, as you might surmise, boy, that's going to be a really big, unpleasant interaction.

Ultimately, though, people are aware of their own personality traits and might have a hard time disavowing such an integral part of themselves, Miller said. This might explain why they don't want to change. The findings appeared March 4 in the Journal of Personality.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected from the original version. The researchers used a five-point scale in their study not a seven-point scale. Original article on Live Science. Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science covering topics from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. Nevertheless, there is a growing prominence of antagonistic people on social media, YouTube, and alternative media outlets who believe they have better answers than the government "elite," and are empowered and aroused by Trump's populism messaging to have more influence than ever before.

Rather than socioeconomic factors being the most prominent explanation for the appeal of populism Bakker and colleagues actually controlled for socioeconomic status in their studies , a critical reason why people have become more receptive to populism is that people have become better educated and more free to speak their views in public. In fact, the appeal of populism is due, in part, to the increased egalitarianism of the s, a consequence being that citizens today expect more from politicians, and feel more competent to judge their actions.

On the whole, this is a good thing. However, as Cas Mudde points out , more and more citizens think they have a good understanding of what politicians do, and think they can do it better, while at the same time, less people actually want to do it better by actively participating in various aspects of political life.

Political theorist Robert Dahl put it well when he wrote , "Nearly a half-century of surveys provides overwhelming evidence that citizens do not put much value on actually participating themselves in political life. Interestingly enough, populist supporters don't actually want to be led by the "common person"; rather, they want their own values and wishes to be enacted by a "great" leader.

Mudde has found that most populist leaders are actually "outsider-elites"; they are highly connected to the elites, but they are not part of the elites. Supporters of populism simply don't want to be governed by an "alien" elite, whose policies do not directly satisfy their own wishes and concerns. This research is important to keep in mind, as it looks like the use of populist rhetoric in the service of enacting more radical policies is not going away anytime soon.

As Mudde observes, due to a number of factors, "populism will be a more regular feature of future democratic politics, erupting whenever significant sections of 'the silent majority' feels that 'the elite' no longer represents them.

Understanding differences in personality may not be the only factor involved in understanding the appeal of populism, but for the sake of the country and the world, it's an important one to consider. The views expressed are those of the author s and are not necessarily those of Scientific American. Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph. He has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. In , he was named one of "50 Groundbreaking Scientists who are changing the way we see the world" by Business Insider.

He wrote the extremely popular Beautiful Minds blog for Scientific American for close to a decade. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. First, let's dive in to the latest science of antagonism. The Science of Antagonism The antagonism-agreeableness dimension of personality is one of the five main dimensions of personality.

Parenting techniques are also sensitive when it comes to anger. When you feel infuriated at your child, do not allow your anger to take over. Take the time to calm down and deal rationally and compassionately with the situation. Refrain from being overly nasty or critical. If you do end up losing your temper or saying something you regret, apologize and explain that you lost your temper and do not like how you acted.

Being aware of over-reactions that have to do with your past will enable you to respond appropriately when you are disciplining your children. Above all, never attack yourself for getting angry. Anger is a messy emotion that everyone struggles with. Having this attitude will allow you to experience compassion toward others when they are grappling with their anger.

Whether a partner, spouse, child or boss, the best solution is to have empathy for them and compassion for yourself as you deal with this powerful and challenging emotion. Here are some violence prevention resources:.

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