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