The Horseshoe Theory

Why do people at opposite political extremes sometimes begin to resemble one another? Horseshoe theory argues that the far left and far right, despite pursuing very different political goals, can develop similar patterns of certainty, intolerance, enemy thinking, and willingness to use coercion. Yet the theory usually describes this resemblance without fully explaining why it occurs. The Horseshoe Theory approaches the question through psychology. Drawing on research into political extremism, childhood adversity, perceived threat, authoritarianism, humiliation, identity, ideological certainty, and the search for significance, Michael Delavan examines what extreme political belief can provide beyond a political position. The book proposes that experiences of vulnerability, instability, humiliation, or powerlessness can make certainty, belonging, meaning, and control especially valuable. Political ideology can then provide an explanation for suffering, identify an enemy, offer a community, and give the individual a sense of purpose. Rather than arguing that the political extremes are identical, this book asks whether very different ideologies can sometimes perform similar psychological functions, and what that may tell us about radicalization and deradicalization.