I read something somewhere... Sometime. The gist of it was that, to some people, their personal beliefs, they are so heavily vested in them, so completely inside a bubble, that anything that threatens that bubble evokes an emotional response akin to a fear of death, because in a sense, if they give up everything they ever believed in, they die. That self has to die to accept reality. And for some, for many, that deal is simply too tough to take, so they double down. Humans get set in their way, and sometimes with extreme stubbornness, and the older they get the worse it gets. At some point, you've invested so much of who you are into your whole life that is has become you. If anything threatens the cohesion of that maze of emotions and thoughts, they react with visceral fear, or aggression, to protect the integrity of their whole sense of self and personality.

Death of ego is a scary thing. Especially in a group, and one you depend on for your survival.

Shit, sorry if I'm rambling, there was an interesting thought in there, it's a bit Freudian but it's a thought I've mulled over for a long time.