Post on 18-Jan-2016
The Authoritarian The Authoritarian PersonalityPersonality
Tuesday, October 1st, 2002Tuesday, October 1st, 2002
Joyce S. PangJoyce S. Pang
The Authoritarian PersonalityThe Authoritarian Personality (Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswik, (Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswik,
Levinson, and Sanford, 1950), written in the aftermath of World War II, Levinson, and Sanford, 1950), written in the aftermath of World War II,
was initially an effort to understand the events of the war- was initially an effort to understand the events of the war-
Q: Is there a pre-fascist personality?Q: Is there a pre-fascist personality?
Common thread running through F-scale items:Common thread running through F-scale items:
““a general disposition to glorify, be subservient to and a general disposition to glorify, be subservient to and
remain uncritical towards remain uncritical towards authorityauthority figures of the in-group figures of the in-group
and to take an attitude of punishing out-group figures in and to take an attitude of punishing out-group figures in
the name of some moral the name of some moral authorityauthority.” .”
The F-scaleThe F-scale
History and development: from the A-S scale History and development: from the A-S scale to the F-scaleto the F-scale
AuthoritarianismAuthoritarianism
Authoritarianism
Conventionalism
Anti-intraception
Aggression
Superstition
and stereotypyDestructiveness
and cynicismPower and
toughness
Projectivity
and sex
Intolerance of
ambiguity
Cognitive
complexity
Obedience
and Submission
Threat
Intolerance of ambiguity
The authoritarian’s cognitive style
• Else Frenkel-Brunswik a.k.a. “ How a dog changes into a cat”
• Gordon Allport
• Key cognitive style of authoritarians
Intolerance of ambiguity
Authoritarians have impermeable
constructs!
Aggression and Obedience
Aggression and Obedience
Milgram’s Obedience experimentsMilgram’s Obedience experiments
Stanley MilgramStanley Milgram Social psychologist
Wrote dissertation on conformity in France and Norway~influenced by Solomon Asch
Intense identification with fellow Jews who suffered during Holocaust
Published Obedience to authority in 1974,
which has now been translated into 11
languages
The ExperimentThe Experiment• 1 teacher (naïve subject), 1
“learner”(confederate), 1 experimenter
• Teacher watches as “Learner” is strapped into place.
• Teacher has to administer electric shocks of increasing intensity if learner is wrong or if he doesn’t
respond.
• Shock generator: from 14 to 450 volts; from left to right (Slight Shock, Moderate Shock, Strong
Shock, Very Strong Shock, Intense Shock, Extreme Intensity Shock,
Danger: Severe Shock [Two switches after this last designation are simply
marked XXX.])
Conflict arises when the “Learner” begins to show that he is experiencing discomfort:
At 75 volts, he grunts;
at 120 volts, he complains loudly;
at 150, he demands to be released from the experiment;
At 285 volts, his response can be described only as an agonized scream.
Soon thereafter, he makes no sound at all.
Two examples:
• Gretchen Brandt
• Fred Prozi
“Right-Wing authoritarianism is an individual factor, a personality variable…
developed on the premise that some persons need very little situational pressure to…submit to authority.”
Altemeyer, 1988
Altemeyer, 1981
(Right-Wing) Authoritarianism:
• Submission
• Aggression• Conventionalism