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Authoritarian Harm Self-Assessment Tool
A reflection tool based on the Authoritarian Harm Complex framework
You won’t be asked for your email to get your results. This tool is here to help you name what you’ve been carrying — not to collect leads.
This tool first appeared in my post What Have You Been Carrying? A Self-Assessment for Navigating Authoritarian Harm at my Progressive Strategy Now blog.
If enough people use the tool, I may analyze patterns across anonymous responses to better understand how authoritarian harm is showing up in people’s lives — and share those insights in future posts. Your experience stays anonymous, but it may help illuminate a much bigger story.
What follows is an opportunity for compassionate recognition. This assessment helps you claim your experience as valid and real. You'll move from carrying invisible weight to naming the impacts of what's been done to you. It sets you up for giving yourself some grace, for befriending yourself instead of blaming yourself. It's based on the Authoritarian Harm Complex framework. The goal? Help you get unstuck and start building strategies for moving forward.
Ready to begin?
Instructions: Some items may feel intense or charged — that's normal. Trust your first reaction and move quickly through the list. Don’t linger or ponder. If something resonates, check it. If not, keep going. Don't overthink it or second guess your initial reaction. This isn’t a formal diagnostic tool — it’s a pattern recognizer. A way to begin naming what you’ve been carrying.
As a result of the Trump administration’s actions since January 2025, have you experienced any of the following in your daily life, body, relationships, or sense of self?
Check all that apply.
Understanding Your Results
Now, take a breath and look at what you've documented. Look over the items you checked and your totals. Just sit with that for a minute. Pause.
Whether you checked 3 items or 23, you're looking at evidence of how much you've been carrying. This isn't weakness. This is what it looks like to survive an unprecedented assault on democratic institutions in American history.
Please don’t get too focused on the score numbers.
If your numbers feel high, that makes sense. Your nervous system, your relationships, your sense of purpose — they're all responding to real attacks. The fact that you're still here, still functioning, still caring enough to take this inventory shows remarkable resilience.
If your numbers seem low but you still feel overwhelmed, that's valid too. One person's experience of job loss might feel liberating while another's feels crushing. Everyone responds differently.
Befriend yourself through this recognition. The shame, the exhaustion, the confusion — none of that is evidence of your inadequacy. It's evidence of your humanity in the face of inhumane systems.
When we name harm, we stop blaming ourselves. When we gain clarity, we get unstuck. That’s how struggle becomes direction — and isolation gives way to shared strength. Your clarity can then become part of something larger.
This assessment marks your starting point. The next step? Decide what you're going to protect, who you're going to connect with, and how you're going to move forward with the clarity you've just gained.
What Comes Next?
What patterns surprised you most? Which domain hit hardest? Share one insight with a trusted confidant. Or just jot down one truth this helped you see. Keep it somewhere visible. That’s enough to begin.
Quite a few people have told me they used this with their spouse, partner, or work colleagues. Each person completed the inventory and then used it to discuss and understand how authoritarian attacks are landing differently in people’s lives.
And if this tool helped you name something you've been carrying, forward it to someone who might need it too.
I’ll be talking more about strategies for moving forward in future posts and a forthcoming toolkit for people who’ve been purged, silenced, or coerced in the workplace. Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out.
Some organizations have found this tool helpful for team discussions about navigating institutional pressure. If that interests you, feel free to reach out here: https://www.progressivestrategynow.com/contact
Now, take a breath and look at what you've documented. Look over the items you checked and your totals. Just sit with that for a minute. Pause.
Whether you checked 3 items or 23, you're looking at evidence of how much you've been carrying. This isn't weakness. This is what it looks like to survive an unprecedented assault on democratic institutions in American history.
Please don’t get too focused on the score numbers.
If your numbers feel high, that makes sense. Your nervous system, your relationships, your sense of purpose — they're all responding to real attacks. The fact that you're still here, still functioning, still caring enough to take this inventory shows remarkable resilience.
If your numbers seem low but you still feel overwhelmed, that's valid too. One person's experience of job loss might feel liberating while another's feels crushing. Everyone responds differently.
Befriend yourself through this recognition. The shame, the exhaustion, the confusion — none of that is evidence of your inadequacy. It's evidence of your humanity in the face of inhumane systems.
When we name harm, we stop blaming ourselves. When we gain clarity, we get unstuck. That’s how struggle becomes direction — and isolation gives way to shared strength. Your clarity can then become part of something larger.
This assessment marks your starting point. The next step? Decide what you're going to protect, who you're going to connect with, and how you're going to move forward with the clarity you've just gained.
What patterns surprised you most? Which domain hit hardest? Share one insight with a trusted confidant. Or just jot down one truth this helped you see. Keep it somewhere visible. That’s enough to begin.
Quite a few people have told me they used this with their spouse, partner, or work colleagues. Each person completed the inventory and then used it to discuss and understand how authoritarian attacks are landing differently in people’s lives.
And if this tool helped you name something you've been carrying, forward it to someone who might need it too.
I’ll be talking more about strategies for moving forward in future posts and a forthcoming toolkit for people who’ve been purged, silenced, or coerced in the workplace. Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out.
Some organizations have found this tool helpful for team discussions about navigating institutional pressure. If that interests you, feel free to reach out here: https://www.progressivestrategynow.com/contact
What came up for you during the self-assessment? Was something surprising, validating, or challenging? This is a safe space to share what you’re carrying — you are not alone.
Note: To comment anonymously, click “Sign in” and then check the “Post as anonymous” option before submitting your reflection. This helps keep your identity private while contributing to our community.