Bob Altemeyer explains the phenomenon well in The Authoritarians. It’s literally how their brains are wired. The book is free here: https://theauthoritarians.org/
I’m only a chapter in, but found the section on conventionalism curious. It may explain why they take such issue with being called “weird”: If they value their perception of being “normal”, “weird” isn’t just an insult used against people you don’t like, it’s an attack on a principal personality trait.
Bob Altemeyer explains the phenomenon well in The Authoritarians. It’s literally how their brains are wired. The book is free here: https://theauthoritarians.org/
I’m only a chapter in, but found the section on conventionalism curious. It may explain why they take such issue with being called “weird”: If they value their perception of being “normal”, “weird” isn’t just an insult used against people you don’t like, it’s an attack on a principal personality trait.