Leaders are appointed in countries and states to govern and manage the well being of the citizens. The ruling party, who primarily authorizes laws and bills, retains power. The dynamics of the political sphere is largely dependent on the power structure and form of government in the state. Authoritarianism occurs when citizens conform to extreme obedience and submission to their leaders (Altemeyer, 2006), coined as Right Wing Authoritarian (RWA) followers. North Korea, governed by the Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, is a famous example. Carrying the legacy of the Kim family for three generations, Kim has reinforced strict systems and rules over the citizens; failure to comply would result in severe punishment. RWA followers have a high tendency to be conservatives, resistant to change, favoring order and stability instead (Dallago, Mirisola, & Roccato, 2012; Hodson & Busseri, 2012), considering
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RWA followers tend to have a deep sense of trust towards their leaders, leading to support and compliance even when it goes against social standards, as proposed by Altemeyer (2006). He elaborates by characterizing the leaders as undemocratic, tyrannical and brutal, further supporting North Korea’s oppressive regime where Kim Jong Un holds tight reins over the state’s media, travel, religion (Emord, 2013). Two factors play a part in accounting for the RWA political ideology, namely emotional intelligence and cognitive reflection. Emotional intelligence (EI) is the awareness and management of one’s personal emotions, and the emotions of others as well (Cherniss, Extein, Goleman, & Weissberg, 2006; Fernández-Berrocal & Extremera, 2006). Studies by Cherniss, Extein, Goleman, and Weissberg (2006) and Conte (2005), have shown a strong correlation between EI and
RWA followers tend to have a deep sense of trust towards their leaders, leading to support and compliance even when it goes against social standards, as proposed by Altemeyer (2006). He elaborates by characterizing the leaders as undemocratic, tyrannical and brutal, further supporting North Korea’s oppressive regime where Kim Jong Un holds tight reins over the state’s media, travel, religion (Emord, 2013). Two factors play a part in accounting for the RWA political ideology, namely emotional intelligence and cognitive reflection. Emotional intelligence (EI) is the awareness and management of one’s personal emotions, and the emotions of others as well (Cherniss, Extein, Goleman, & Weissberg, 2006; Fernández-Berrocal & Extremera, 2006). Studies by Cherniss, Extein, Goleman, and Weissberg (2006) and Conte (2005), have shown a strong correlation between EI and