Authoritarianism was represented as a highly stable personality trait in both the original conception put forward by adorno, frenkelbrunswick, levinson, and sanford 1950 as well as the widelyused revision of the construct offered by altemeyer, 1981, altemeyer, 1988, altemeyer, 1996. The authoritarian personality is a psychological syndrome of traits that correlates highly without group prejudice. Authoritarian families are typically hierarchically organised with a strict father figure, it has been found that those with an authoritarian personality are more prone to prejudices of all kinds. Personality characterized by extreme obedience to, and dependence on, a powerful leader or father figure. An authoritarian personality is either an attitude or a mindstate that can be characterized through a belief of submission or total obedience to a specific authority figure. Political psychology is an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to understanding politics, politicians and political behavior from a psychological perspective. This personality is often thought of as being strict, oppressive, and authoritative toward those who are. The authoritarian personality, by theodor adorno, else frenkelbrunswik. Prejudice and discrimination have been prevalent throughout human history.
Authoritarian personality theory of prejudice explained hrf. Robyn marasco political science the graduate center, cuny. More than half of the entrepreneurs in the research project 52% were calculated to have an authoritarian personality, with another 10% having a social personality. Authoritarian personality definition at, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. Minority influence including reference to consistency, commitment and flexibility.
Political scientists often dismiss the authoritarian personality as a relic of its time, but some still speculate about republican voters relationships with their fathers and mr. We believe each theory of the authoritarian personality contributes to our knowledge and can help us better understand these two seminal figures. How to recognize an authoritarian personality webucator. Workplaces like construction sites and emergency rooms tend to benefit from this type of leadership because in these environments, a misunderstanding or a mistake can lead to death. Originally published in 1950, the authoritarian personality remains a major landmark in political psychology. Pdf the authoritarian personality is a psychological syndrome. It is not the radical left that is destroying the west, but. Duke university press the authoritarian personality. Personality, a characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
The researchers, led by theodor adorno and max horkheimer, used various psychological scales to attempt to explain racism and the atmosphere that led to the slaughter of six million jews and others. Authoritarian personality sociology of race iresearchnet. We provided a test of the trait conception of authoritarianism by measuring its stability in a community sample of twins over a 15 year period, and by identifying the source. And it is the institute which, in its huge joint volume on authority and the family in 1936, first raised on a major scale the question of the social role of authoritarianismthe authoritarian personality, the authoritarian family, and the authoritarian society. Bracketing the analysis of the origins of the contemporary situation, the authoritarian personality would aspire to form a sort of verification and psychosociological counterpart of this approach, which would rely on the concept previously elaborated by critical theorists and which gave the work its title. Being prejudiced usually means having preconceived beliefs about groups of people or cultural practices. Authoritarian personality definition of authoritarian. Feldman reads adornos writings on fascism, alongside disneys 1991 film the beauty and the beast, to analyse the contemporary resurgence of the farright and the enduring relevance of adornos work. Conceptually, the term authoritarian personality originated from the writings of erich fromm, and usually is applied to men and women who exhibit a.
The empirical data for the authoritarian personality was gathered in the u. In short, the authoritarian personality was developed under specific social, cultural and historical contexts, and was also closely related to the ideologies of western political development. Apr 05, 2018 several approaches to contemporary politics echo the insights of sipple and lakoff. Several approaches to contemporary politics echo the insights of sipple and lakoff. In part i of our paper, we investigate hitlers and stalins family background, social class, religious faith, education, and.
To make the results of my rather lengthy inquiry very short, i found that it was the authoritarians who took control of the conservative movement in the 1980s, and then. It is a study tracing the roots and rise of authoritarianism not just to hitlers germany but to americas heartlandto the beliefs, prejudices, and collective yearning of its citizens. Opinion the contract with authoritarianism the new. The role of social influence processes in social change.
List of the disadvantages of authoritarian leadership 1. Authoritarianism, principle of blind submission to authority, as opposed to individual freedom of thought and action. Governmental control over judiciary and mass media is direct and considered justified. The authoritarian personality is a personality type characterized by extreme obedience and. The authoritarian personality, in short, is both us and u.
This authority could then be distributed through that figures subordinates as well. The theory of an authoritarian personality was an influential though. Authoritarianism is a matter of personality, not politics. The principal failing of the antityrannists is their lack of selfcriticality about such problems in american democracy that long predated trump.
The relevance of this effort for our contemporary moment may strike the reader as selfevident. T being organized, systematic, punctual, achievementoriented, and dependable describes the big five traits of agreeableness. Opinion the contract with authoritarianism the new york times. The relationship between politics and psychology is considered bidirectional, with psychology being used as a lens for understanding politics and politics being used as a lens for understanding psychology. Adornos authoritarian personality theory exploring.
He suggested that people develop certain personality styles or strategies in order to deal with the anxiety created by feelings of isolation. Let us go back to that earlier volume and quote, from the english abstract, the. It includes behavioral characteristics, both inherent and acquired, that distinguish one person from another. Prejudice has to do with the inflexible and irrational attitudes and opinions held by members of one group about another, while discrimination refers to behaviors directed against another group. If you have a peopleoriented personality, and a high lpc, you can separate your liking of a person from your ability to work with that person. A niche group of political scientists may have uncovered whats driving donald trumps ascent. Autocratic leaders typically make choices based on their ideas and judgments and rarely accept advice from followers. The concept of authoritarian personality denotes a number of qualities, which according to the theories of theodor adorno predict ones potential for fascist and antidemocratic leanings and behaviors. While a strong psychological notion centers on a socalled authoritarian personality that is rather stable, from a sociopsychological or social sciences perspective, authoritarianism is.
Authoritarianism has long been conceived of as a highly stable personality trait adorno et al. These allegations were first aired during the trump election campaign, 55 and then repeatedly voiced by the president himself, 56 by his spokesman, 57 and by the white house senior adviser stephen miller. Gordon to the authoritarian personality, the hugely influential study of the psychology of authoritarianism. However, chiens model lacks the role of agency or intentionality. Erich fromm was a neofreudian psychoanalyst who suggested a theory of personality based on two primary needs. Personality types and management styles are different from leadership styles although there is some overlap.
Trait theories of personality imply personality is biologically based, whereas state theories such as banduras 1977 social learning theory emphasize the role of nurture and environmental influence. These qualities are assessed by a coherent systemthe structure of personality which arises out of characteristic experiences in early childhood and the pattern of internal, psychic processing. But the details of the original study are still poorly. The fact is that two authoritarian personality types can be identified a follower type and a leader type and while the 1950 method of identifying each may have been discredited, the 2010 method has not. The theory of an authoritarian personality was an influential though controversial midtwentiethcentury theory to explain the mass appeal of fascism and ethnocentrism. As behavior is somewhat governed by scripts or rules that govern who will do what when personality traits will have little effect on behavior. The influence of the concept of authoritarian personality today.
Understanding the personality type while not all conservatives are authoritarians, all highly authoritarian personalities are political conservatives. The book the authoritarian personality 1950 introduces several scales based on different authoritarian personality types. Theodor adorno remains one of the key sources for understanding the desire for fascism, notably in his groundbreaking work the authoritarian personality. Three personality traits in particular characterize the syndrome. An analysis of trump supporters has identified 5 key. Authoritarian rulers mostly use force and coercion to command political uniformity and obedience.
An autocratic leader tends to be most effective in work environments where following a prescribed routine or set of standards is of the utmost importance. The authoritarian personality studies in prejudice. The underlying dynamics of regime support and opposition are central to our theories of revolution kuran 1991 and democratization bunce and wolchik. Conceptually, the term authoritarian personality originated from the writings of erich fromm, and usually is applied to men and women who exhibit a strict and oppressive personality. Autocratic leadership, also known as authoritarian leadership, is a leadership style characterized by individual control over all decisions and little input from group members.
An analysis of trump supporters has identified 5 key traits. Since its original publication in 1950, the authoritarian personality retains its relevance, and it has assumed a renewed political urgency. Managers who are practicing an authoritarian leadership style are often viewed as being controlling and bossy. Eric fromms personality theory eric fromm and the social unconscious the truth is often realized through balance, found in the middle ground between opposing extremesa reality fromm embraced when developing his theory of the unconscious. The landmark 1950 study in social psychology the authoritarian personality represents a significant attempt to correlate rightwing political orientation with psychological or characterological. The authoritarian personality south atlantic quarterly. Sigmund freuds psychodynamic theory of personality assumes there is an interaction between nature innate instincts and nurture parental. The new fontana dictionary of modern thought, third edition, allan bullock and stephen trombley, eds. Chien, 20, is still ubiquitous in contemporary chinese societies. Explanations of resistance to social influence, including social support and locus of control.
There are people who are attracted to the prospect of oppressing others. Authoritarian personality an overview sciencedirect topics. Nathan glazer discusses here the recently published book studies in the scape and method of the authoritarian. Nevertheless, the authoritarian personality theory has inspired a broad spectrum of research on the relationship between personality traits, behavior, and political beliefs. This discovery means that approximately 16% of the population possesses a personality profile that is significantly more authoritarian than average. We have trained over 90,000 students from over 16,000 organizations on technologies such as microsoft asp. It is a study tracing the roots and rise of authoritarianism not just to hitlers germany but to americas heartlandto the.
In fact, although experts dont consider it a reference these days, its not easy to understand the history of personality psychology without it. Personality and politics in contemporary russia why do some people living under authoritarian regimes support and even vote for their rulers, while others do not. Aversive racism and contemporary bias chapter 12 the. It is not the radical left that is destroying the west, but the west as a whole the realist complains at the inverted world that i misrepresented him when i said in my comment there today that he had written that the threat to the west emanates from the frankfurt school.
According to the authoritarian personality theory, people with an authoritarian personality tended to be. Oct 27, 2015 authoritarian personality is a state of mind or attitude characterized by belief in absolute obedience or submission to ones own authority, as well as the administration of that belief through. The researchers, led by theodor adorno and max horkheimer, used various psychological scales to attempt to explain racism and the atmosphere that led to the slaughter. Although since criticised on grounds of methodology, the continuing relevance of its findings gave rise to a new edition in 2019. Leadership styles in chinese corporations ckgsb knowledge.
As researches progressed, the authoritarian personality was found to reflect rightwing authoritarianism instead of being neutral altemeyer, 1998. Personality embraces moods, attitudes, and opinions and is most clearly expressed in interactions with other people. The authoritarian personality is a personality type characterized by extreme obedience and unquestioning respect for and submission to the authority of a person external to the self, which is realized through the oppression of subordinate people. Peter gordons essay, the authoritarian personality revisited. By focusing on the authoritarian personality and its relevance for contemporary politics, the contributors aim to correct this imbalance and assess the empirical project in early critical theory, including its integration of political sociology and social psychology. The strange death of the authoritarian personality. Authoritarianism and attitudes toward contemporary social.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The study of antisemitism and group prejudice in this country has been fundamentally affected by the monumental volume the authoritarian personality, published in 1950, which in the few years since its publication has become a kind of classic in american social science. Reading adorno in the age of trump, from last summer, remains, i still think, the single best one i have reply notes on late fascism by alberto toscano radical political economy april 4, 2017 at 11. Clear instructions also reduce the risks that individual team might be willing to take on their own. In government, authoritarianism denotes any political system that concentrates power in the hands of a leader or a small elite that is not constitutionally responsible to the body of the people. Authoritarian personality characteristics form a continuum, from low to high, in the human population 1. Methodological and conceptual criticisms of the original theory, however, lead to alternative theories and culminated in research suggesting two distinct. This was a key theme that would reappear, with important modifications, in the authoritarian personality. Jan 10, 2018 the empirical data for the authoritarian personality was gathered in the u. The authoritarian personality was an attempt by a group of researchers to explain the conditions that allowed naziism to gain a foothold in europe. The authoritarian personality describes a type of person who prefers a social system with a strong ruler the authoritarian person is comfortable being the strong ruler but if the individual is not the strong ruler then he or she will demonstrate complete obedience to another strong authority figure. Hostile toward people of inferior status but obedient to people with higher statuses. The authoritarian personality, by theodor adorno, else frenkel brunswik.
Oct 02, 2018 by focusing on the authoritarian personality and its relevance for contemporary politics, the contributors aim to correct this imbalance and assess the empirical project in early critical theory, including its integration of political sociology and social psychology. A landmark study of the 60s countercultue era was a thousand page long volume, published in 1950, by theodore adorno, called the authoritarian personality. Three studies were conducted to examine the relevance of authoritarianism to contemporary social attitudes, with special emphasis on aids, drug use, and the environment. These traits are accompanied by prejudicial, rigid, and tyrannical behavior against others, especially those who are inferior in rank, or vulnerable or weaker. The authoritarian personality type is suggested to be. Adorno, else frenkelbrunswik, daniel levinson, and nevitt sanford, researchers working at the university of california, berkeley, during and shortly after world war ii. Personality psychologists should abandon their efforts to explain behavior with traits, focusing instead on situations. Net, microsoft office, azure, windows, java, adobe, python, sql, javascript, angular and much more. Two theories that explain prejudice discrimination and. Webucator provides instructorled training to students throughout the us and canada. Fifty years since its original publication, the authoritarian personality retains its relevance, and it has assumed a renewed political urgency. Opinion is there such a thing as an authoritarian voter.
A new approach and measure of the authoritarian personality jstor. Over the last decade, the rise of authoritarian or neofascist political movements, even in the. The authoritarian personality in the 21st century bond university. Authoritarian leaders often exercise power arbitrarily and without regard to. It represents one of the most sophisticated attempts to explore the origins of fascism not merely as a political phenomenon, but as the manifestation of dispositions that lie at the very core of the modern psyche. The authoritarian personality is a 1950 sociology book by theodor w. The fact that both forms of the authoritarian personality can be traced back to one final common point the symbiotic tendency demonstrates why one can find both the sadistic and masochistic component in so many authoritarian personalities.
1071 65 989 523 303 741 366 232 1060 429 1130 497 720 1209 1044 390 23 764 598 1336 264 259 12 992 760 974 1079 105 916 627 1274 653 713