Dark personalities and their sympathies towards state-sponsored extremism

There is little empirical research conducted on state-sponsored extremism (SSE). Yet, SSE can be seen in society from policy to policing that can lead to discrimination and aggression. The purpose of the study was to investigate if those higher on the Dark Tetrad (D4; Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism) and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) would demonstrate more support for SSE. We hypothesized those who were higher on the D4 and RWA would show more sympathy towards SSE. We also investigated if cognitive suppression use could predict more support for SSE scenarios. In a cross-sectional design with vignettes, participants indicated their level of agreement with four real-world examples of SSE. A total of 398 participants (287 women, 103 men, 6 non-binary, and 2 who did not indicate gender) from 43 countries were recruited online. We ran a series of hierarchical regressions to develop predictive models to test our hypotheses. Being higher on RWA was a significant predictor that explained the most variance in nearly all models. Being higher on the D4 also predicted more support for SSE in select circumstances. Our findings contribute to the understanding of dispositional dynamics and interpersonal differences in the legitimization of SSE.