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. How to recognize an authoritarian personality webucator. 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. 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. But the details of the original study are still poorly. 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. Methodological and conceptual criticisms of the original theory, however, lead to alternative theories and culminated in research suggesting two distinct. The authoritarian personality, by theodor adorno, else frenkel brunswik. This discovery means that approximately 16% of the population possesses a personality profile that is significantly more authoritarian than average. 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. The empirical data for the authoritarian personality was gathered in the u. 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. 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.
Net, microsoft office, azure, windows, java, adobe, python, sql, javascript, angular and much more. Pdf the authoritarian personality is a psychological syndrome. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Duke university press the authoritarian personality. List of the disadvantages of authoritarian leadership 1.
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. Authoritarian rulers mostly use force and coercion to command political uniformity and obedience. 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. The principal failing of the antityrannists is their lack of selfcriticality about such problems in american democracy that long predated trump. This authority could then be distributed through that figures subordinates as well. It is a study tracing the roots and rise of authoritarianism not just to hitlers germany but to americas heartlandto the. Robyn marasco political science the graduate center, cuny. The strange death of the authoritarian personality. The landmark 1950 study in social psychology the authoritarian personality represents a significant attempt to correlate rightwing political orientation with psychological or characterological.
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. Personality embraces moods, attitudes, and opinions and is most clearly expressed in interactions with other people. A new approach and measure of the authoritarian personality jstor. The authoritarian personality, by theodor adorno, else frenkelbrunswik. The relevance of this effort for our contemporary moment may strike the reader as selfevident.
Understanding the personality type while not all conservatives are authoritarians, all highly authoritarian personalities are political conservatives. Personality types and management styles are different from leadership styles although there is some overlap. Webucator provides instructorled training to students throughout the us and canada. The authoritarian personality is a personality type characterized by extreme obedience and. He suggested that people develop certain personality styles or strategies in order to deal with the anxiety created by feelings of isolation. Sigmund freuds psychodynamic theory of personality assumes there is an interaction between nature innate instincts and nurture parental. We believe each theory of the authoritarian personality contributes to our knowledge and can help us better understand these two seminal figures. 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. This personality is often thought of as being strict, oppressive, and authoritative toward those who are. Authoritarianism has long been conceived of as a highly stable personality trait adorno et al. Managers who are practicing an authoritarian leadership style are often viewed as being controlling and bossy. Prejudice and discrimination have been prevalent throughout human history.
Authoritarian personality theory of prejudice explained hrf. Political psychology is an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to understanding politics, politicians and political behavior from a psychological perspective. The authoritarian personality was an attempt by a group of researchers to explain the conditions that allowed naziism to gain a foothold in europe. 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. 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. The authoritarian personality type is suggested to be.
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. A niche group of political scientists may have uncovered whats driving donald trumps ascent. 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. 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. Chien, 20, is still ubiquitous in contemporary chinese societies. 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. Personality psychologists should abandon their efforts to explain behavior with traits, focusing instead on situations. Conceptually, the term authoritarian personality originated from the writings of erich fromm, and usually is applied to men and women who exhibit a. An analysis of trump supporters has identified 5 key traits. Aversive racism and contemporary bias chapter 12 the. Erich fromm was a neofreudian psychoanalyst who suggested a theory of personality based on two primary needs.
This was a key theme that would reappear, with important modifications, in the authoritarian personality. Since its original publication in 1950, the authoritarian personality retains its relevance, and it has assumed a renewed political urgency. 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. 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. 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 influence of the concept of authoritarian personality today. 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. Authoritarian personality characteristics form a continuum, from low to high, in the human population 1.
Peter gordons essay, the authoritarian personality revisited. Being prejudiced usually means having preconceived beliefs about groups of people or cultural practices. 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. There are people who are attracted to the prospect of oppressing others.
In fact, although experts dont consider it a reference these days, its not easy to understand the history of personality psychology without it. We have trained over 90,000 students from over 16,000 organizations on technologies such as microsoft asp. Authoritarianism is a matter of personality, not politics. Personality characterized by extreme obedience to, and dependence on, a powerful leader or father figure. According to the authoritarian personality theory, people with an authoritarian personality tended to be. 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. Authoritarian personality sociology of race iresearchnet. Authoritarianism and attitudes toward contemporary social. The theory of an authoritarian personality was an influential though controversial midtwentiethcentury theory to explain the mass appeal of fascism and ethnocentrism. As researches progressed, the authoritarian personality was found to reflect rightwing authoritarianism instead of being neutral altemeyer, 1998. 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. The authoritarian personality, in short, is both us and u. 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. An analysis of trump supporters has identified 5 key.
Although since criticised on grounds of methodology, the continuing relevance of its findings gave rise to a new edition in 2019. T being organized, systematic, punctual, achievementoriented, and dependable describes the big five traits of agreeableness. Governmental control over judiciary and mass media is direct and considered justified. 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. The new fontana dictionary of modern thought, third edition, allan bullock and stephen trombley, eds. 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. The authoritarian personality studies in prejudice. Hostile toward people of inferior status but obedient to people with higher statuses.
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 theory of an authoritarian personality was an influential though. Opinion the contract with authoritarianism the new york times. However, chiens model lacks the role of agency or intentionality. Explanations of resistance to social influence, including social support and locus of control. Authoritarian personality definition of authoritarian. The book the authoritarian personality 1950 introduces several scales based on different authoritarian personality types. Two theories that explain prejudice discrimination and. Personality, a characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. The authoritarian personality in the 21st century bond university. Over the last decade, the rise of authoritarian or neofascist political movements, even in the.
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. 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. 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. Three studies were conducted to examine the relevance of authoritarianism to contemporary social attitudes, with special emphasis on aids, drug use, and the environment.
Opinion the contract with authoritarianism the new. As behavior is somewhat governed by scripts or rules that govern who will do what when personality traits will have little effect on behavior. 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. Theodor adorno remains one of the key sources for understanding the desire for fascism, notably in his groundbreaking work the authoritarian personality. It is not the radical left that is destroying the west, but. 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. Autocratic leaders typically make choices based on their ideas and judgments and rarely accept advice from followers. In part i of our paper, we investigate hitlers and stalins family background, social class, religious faith, education, and.
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. Authoritarianism, principle of blind submission to authority, as opposed to individual freedom of thought and action. 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. 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.
Gordon to the authoritarian personality, the hugely influential study of the psychology of authoritarianism. The authoritarian personality south atlantic quarterly. 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. 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 underlying dynamics of regime support and opposition are central to our theories of revolution kuran 1991 and democratization bunce and wolchik. Adornos authoritarian personality theory exploring. 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. While a strong psychological notion centers on a socalled authoritarian personality that is rather stable, from a sociopsychological or social sciences perspective, authoritarianism is. Originally published in 1950, the authoritarian personality remains a major landmark in political psychology. Three personality traits in particular characterize the syndrome. Adorno, else frenkelbrunswik, daniel levinson, and nevitt sanford, researchers working at the university of california, berkeley, during and shortly after world war ii. Minority influence including reference to consistency, commitment and flexibility. Leadership styles in chinese corporations ckgsb knowledge.
The role of social influence processes in social change. Authoritarian personality an overview sciencedirect topics. The authoritarian personality is a 1950 sociology book by theodor w. These traits are accompanied by prejudicial, rigid, and tyrannical behavior against others, especially those who are inferior in rank, or vulnerable or weaker. Opinion is there such a thing as an authoritarian voter. Autocratic leadership, also known as authoritarian leadership, is a leadership style characterized by individual control over all decisions and little input from group members. 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. Jan 10, 2018 the empirical data for the authoritarian personality was gathered in the u.
Clear instructions also reduce the risks that individual team might be willing to take on their own. The authoritarian personality is a psychological syndrome of traits that correlates highly without group prejudice. A landmark study of the 60s countercultue era was a thousand page long volume, published in 1950, by theodore adorno, called the authoritarian personality. Authoritarian leaders often exercise power arbitrarily and without regard to.
568 611 609 161 1033 1123 718 1086 1355 594 520 1342 39 934 602 310 135 408 1593 11 1158 568 588 717 169 770 24 648 993 1104 810 349 395 1248 644 691 1087 311 552 541 701 604 520 12 517 121 1023 1117 1126