New Matilda have really been knocking it outta the park lately. Following the revelations about Frances Abbott's dubious scholarship and Barry Spurr's unapologetic racism, yesterday they published a piece by clinical psychologist Lissa Johnson, "Inside The Mind Of The Abbott Government." It's kind of a diagnosis of the current government's political ideology. And it is brutal. 

According to Johnson, in political psychology, convervativism "involves promotion of inequality and resistance to change." And the Abbott government are really livin' up to the textbook by embodying just that. 

Conservatives are also typically found to have a need for definite answers to complex issues, "motivated by the drive to resolve uncertainty and ambiguity." So while they might reckon it's a virtue to be Getting Things Done, their solutions are often simplistic.

Here's a great bit. Speaking about something called Social Dominance Orientation, Johnson says:

A darker pathway to ideological views, Social Dominance Orientation is more a ruthless and competitive form of anti-egalitarianism. It not only correlates with conservatism but also with the ‘dark triad’ of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Psychopathy.

In newer research, conservatism has also been found to correlate inversely with compassion, humility, dispositional fairness, altruism and empathy.

In other words, conservatives are people who don't care about the wellbeing of other people. Which makes perfect sense, as the Abbott government's entire job is looking out for... the wellbeing of other people.

Johnson also touches on the recent fear-mongering, which you've no doubt seen as bright signs with catchy slogans like "If you see something, say something.":

The Government’s most recent legitimising rhetoric, ‘The war on terror at home’, is probably the most potent and promising of all. In numerous studies, invoking fear and even simply thinking about death increases self-reported conservatism and endorsement of conservative policies, candidates, and values.

For instance, in time series analyses George W Bush’s approval ratings and policy support soared after every upgrading of the national terrorist alert.

If you're looking to feel even worse about the state of Australia after your daily 10 Things shot, head over to New Matilda. You might even consider a yearly subscription to help quality journalists keep their lights on.

Photo via The Guardian