Normalizing Control: Psychological and Social Roots of Repression Tolerance

This paper examines the psychological and social mechanisms that underlie tolerance for repression, with a particular focus on the case of Georgia. In particular, this study explores how and why some people may accept or even support authoritarian-leaning policies despite experiences or memories of repression. First, the paper develops a theoretical framework that brings together political-psychological orientations (e.g., fear, threat perception, desire for stability), emotional attachments, and social identities (ethnic, national, generational) to explain authoritarian legitimation. I argue that in contexts like Georgia, with histories of conflict, economic uncertainty, and contested statehood, citizens’ psychological orientation toward security and social belonging can predispose them to accept repressive tools when framed as necessary for order and national cohesion. Second, I use mixed-methods empirical research combining qualitative and quantitative methods to trace how narratives of external threat, economic vulnerability, and national identity influence individual-level tolerance toward authoritarian practices. This approach aims to map the relationship between objective socioeconomic and political conditions, subjective perceptions of threat and identity, and acceptance of repression. Finally, by situating the Georgian case in comparative perspective, I reflect on how the relationship among institutional legacies, elite strategies, and psychosocial dynamics shapes patterns of mass support for authoritarianism. The study contributes to building a cross-disciplinary, socially grounded understanding of “why repression is tolerated.” It also proposes how future research might systematically compare post-Soviet and European contexts to better understand similarities and divergences in the psychological underpinnings of authoritarian legitimation.