Dogmatic people seem blind to their own rigid certainty and the offensive way they come across. Why is that?
Johnson: One characteristic of dogmatism is a lack personal insight. Dogmatists’ pervasive anxiety and extraordinary need to be right blinds them to common social nuances. They are so preoccupied with defending their views, trying to impress others, and feeling safe in a confusing world, that they fail to take an easy reading on peoples reactions to their rigid pronouncements and emotional defensiveness. However, there are 13 characteristics of dogmatism – lack of personal insight is just one. People can be quite aware they are dogmatic (although they would likely describe themselves as “opinionated” or “stubborn”), but if they also have any 5 of the remaining 12 features, I think we can safely assume they have the personality trait of dogmatism.
