Superpatriot opposition to community mental health programs

Superpatriots' concerns about mental health programs are explored. Superpatriots are defined by nationalistic conservatism, the perception of a major internal communist threat in America, and a commitment to action. Their opposition to mental health programs involves the belief that psychological testing invades privacy and that such programs are extensions of federal bureaucracy, encourage immorality, are ideologically biased, and are part of a communist plot to destroy America. Superpatriots who were interviewed werenot disturbed or alienated. They were strongly fundamentalist in religion, dogmatic, moralistic, and informally associated with other superpatriots through neighborhood groups. The research reported here has been supported partly by the Anti-Defamation League and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Thanks are due to Alvin Michaels, M.D., for his help on an earlier version of this report.