Fear & authority

Good post!

There's also this: people instinctively use fear to control other people. If a person's entire self-image is based around being an authority figure, and someone else proposes an idea that the person didn't think of first, or that casts doubt on the truths that person preaches, then he will react aggressively to denounce the idea and frighten as many people as he can into believing the idea is dangerous.

When a debater becomes less rational, fair, and kind, it's a sure sign that what's really going on is about personality, self-image, and fear.