The Science of How America Accidentally Trained an Authoritarian Government

Every unpunished lie, every ignored abuse of power, conditioned our leaders to go full authoritarian.

(Ivan Pavlov, Russian and Soviet experimental neurologist and. physiologist known for his discovery of classical conditioning through his experiments with dogs.)

The Science of How America Accidentally Trained an Authoritarian Government

Every unpunished lie, every ignored abuse of power, conditioned our leaders to go full authoritarian.

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #474: Wednesday, August 6th, 2025. 11:50 AM CST

I. The Shock That Never Needed to Be Repeated

Every time a politician crosses a line…lies about war…rigs elections…crushes dissent…we respond. We talk about it. We fume. Then days later… nothing changes. Worse: the behavior repeats. Because we never punished it. And in behaviorism, that means we reinforced it.

That’s not political drama. That’s science.

II. Pavlov, Skinner & the Science of Reinforcement

Ivan Pavlov’s dogs salivated at a bell paired over time with food. That’s classical conditioning…associating a neutral stimulus with a natural response.

But what applies to dogs also applies to human behavior in the public sphere…except with a twist: operant conditioning…invented by B.F. Skinner…deals in voluntary behaviors and consequences.

Rewards increase a behavior’s likelihood…punishments decrease it.

In humans…when a politician gets away with corrupt or otherwise unacceptable behavior → sees no consequences → repeats it. That’s behavior shaped by reinforcement.

III. How America Trained Its Politicians

Look at decades of outrages: Iraq lies…financial bailouts…election denial…norm-breaking proclamations. We complained…but rarely punished. No career-ending consequences. No meaningful electoral price.

In operant terms:

• Behavior = lie, cheat, or abuse power

• Consequence = minimal or nonexistent accountability

• → behavior increases over time.

We didn’t punish behavior we called unacceptable. We rewarded it with inaction.

IV. The Conditioning Loop of Authoritarianism

Here’s how the behavior cycle works:

1. A politician tests a norm boundary.

2. We gasp…confer…tweet…but stop short of real consequences.

3. Behavior escalates. Next time it’s worse.

4. Norms erode. Authoritarian moves become normal.

This is how states spiral toward authoritarianism…not with a coup…but with trained compliance.

V. Behavioral Psychology Meets Politics

Immediate and Proportional Punishment Works

Skinner’s operant conditioning research shows that for unwanted behavior to decline… punishment must be immediate and consistent.

Delayed punishment is ineffective…and may even reinforce the wrong behavior.

Reinforce the Right…Punish the Wrong

Balanced reinforcement (both positive and negative) is most effective at changing behavior…according to empirical studies.

But political accountability rarely offers either in a meaningful way.

VI. Real‑World Political Conditioning Examples

War lies (Iraq War)

• Public reaction: Media outrage only

• Consequence: No prosecutions

• Learned effect: Politicians test further deception

Financial crash bailouts

• Public reaction: Public anger

• Consequence: No criminal charges

• Learned effect: Bankers and elected officials expect immunity

Gerrymandering & voter suppression

• Public reaction: Complaints and lawsuits

• Consequence: Slow legal action…no removal

• Learned effect: Norm erodes…behavior spreads across states

Norm‑breaking tweets & statements

• Public reaction: Viewers shrug off

• Consequence: No real electoral cost

• Learned effect: Behavior becomes routine

VII. How Citizens Reverse the Conditioning

You can’t fix behavior by passive outrage. I say again…

You can’t fix behavior by passive outrage.

You need to be the reinforcer of punishment and the engine of accountability:

Step 1: Swift Public Backlash

Call…email…protest…primary–within 24 hours. Delayed outrage doesn’t teach any lesson.

Step 2: Legal Consequences

Support watchdog groups that sue and document wrongdoing. The ACLU…Campaign Legal Center…Protect Democracy…they are the legal punishers.

Step 3: Electoral Accountability

Primary spineless incumbents. Support challengers in primaries and midterms…especially in local races. Show your vote has consequences.

Step 4: Narrative Control

Frame the behavior as unacceptable…not “politics as usual.” Make their words echo in media until they regret saying it.

VIII. The Meat of the Matter

If we don’t punish the behavior…we are training them to repeat it and scale it. Ignoring it doesn’t stop it…it feeds it.

This is not hyperbole. This is behavioral science applied to politics.

If you're reading this and thinking: "It’s too late," you're wrong. But only if you take action now…and every day from now on.

If you don’t punish what should never have happened…it will happen again. Until they know you’ll reason swiftly and harshly…you’re reinforcing what should never have happened.

Soak this one up. It applies to politics…our personal lives and relationships…and so much else.

This is How I Live…

I live by what I’ve written about in this issue of JHN. I do. When someone is being an asshole…I deal with them swiftly and harshly.

Should they ever think about engaging in the same actions and behaviors with me again…I want their unconscious mind to zap them about one hundredth of a second into that thought…with the uncomfortable memory of how it played out last time.

If someone being an asshole…once….was an uninvited interruption…why would you want to extend an open invitation for them to be an asshole to you a second time? You wouldn’t. And…I….don’t.

Conversely, if someone is pleasant and delightfully engaging with me…I reinforce the hell out of it.

That’s the way I prefer to interact with people. However, it seems there are fewer and fewer people with each passing year….who enjoy it as much as a I do.

So, when I encounter someone who is a refreshingly surprising joy to engage with….I want them to associate pleasure and good feelings with doing so. That way…the next time they see me…they’ll want to do it again. It’s a real win/win.

Yes, the thrust of this article was about how it works in politics. The same principles…. however… are in play when using it in your personal life.

Think and reflect in this throughout the next say or so. It’s profound.

I’ll be back soon!

-Jack