Psychology of authoritarianism

It's natural for humans (or any other animal) to try to increase their chances of survival by controlling, to the extent they can, their environment. Building shelters, creating tools, planting crops, etc.

When the agency to affect these changes is taken away, the desire to survive doesn't end, but changes shape. Psychological pathologies occur when natural development is inhibited. Authoritarianism (defined as the impulse to control others) may be the result of the inhibition of natural development through overbearing power structures like schools, religions or strong governments. Removing agency from people's lives results in the seeking of other ways in which to regain control over their circumstances. Authoritarianism arises when individuals perceive that they have little control over their own lives and attempt to compensate for that loss of agency by controlling the lives of others. 

In the West, the current authoritarian culture most likely arose, initially, from the exploitation of the desire to survive by religions who used the idea of "eternal life" to control others, thereby reducing their agency and setting in motion the seeds of cultural authoritarianism.  As individuals seek to recover their lost agency, they appeal to authority to control the lives of others, naturally giving rise to authoritarian governments. 

Authoritarianism feeds on itself as it replaces natural, individual agency with the agency of authority. The subversion of the natural order creates instability in a society, eventually resulting in the crumbling of the affected society.

Authoritarianism is a social disease. Those who desire to recover agency  may appeal to authority or to put themselves in a position of authority. In order to fight the progress of this disease, we should first understand it (as is the purpose of this post) and illuminate it.