Difference between revisions of "The Authoritarians"
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The book is about what it calls "Right Wing Authoritarianism", or "RWA" for short; individuals and groups exhibit varying degrees of this as a personality trait (in two specific dimensions: "follower" intensity and "leader" intensity), and are correspondingly referred to as "high-RWA" or "low-RWA" where they have unusually high or low levels of it in either of these dimensions (the dimension is generally also specified, though "follower" seems to be the default if it is not). | The book is about what it calls "Right Wing Authoritarianism", or "RWA" for short; individuals and groups exhibit varying degrees of this as a personality trait (in two specific dimensions: "follower" intensity and "leader" intensity), and are correspondingly referred to as "high-RWA" or "low-RWA" where they have unusually high or low levels of it in either of these dimensions (the dimension is generally also specified, though "follower" seems to be the default if it is not). | ||
− | + | * [[/traits]]: characteristics of [[authoritarian]]s, as described in the book | |
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==Links to the Book (complete)== | ==Links to the Book (complete)== | ||
+ | The PDFs are generally formatted better than the HTML version on GoogleGroups. | ||
:* Introduction (best to read this first) | :* Introduction (best to read this first) | ||
− | :** [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/Introduction_links.pdf PDF] [ | + | :** [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/Introduction_links.pdf PDF] [[googlegroups:theauthoritarians/web/Introduction_links.htm|HTML]] |
# Who Are the Authoritarian Followers? | # Who Are the Authoritarian Followers? | ||
− | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter1.pdf PDF] [ | + | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter1.pdf PDF] [[googlegroups:theauthoritarians/web/chapter1.htm|HTML]] |
# The Roots of Authoritarian Aggression, and Authoritarianism Itself | # The Roots of Authoritarian Aggression, and Authoritarianism Itself | ||
− | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter2.pdf PDF] [ | + | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter2.pdf PDF] [[googlegroups:theauthoritarians/web/chapter2.htm|HTML]] |
# How Authoritarian Followers Think | # How Authoritarian Followers Think | ||
− | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter3.pdf PDF] [ | + | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter3.pdf PDF] [[googlegroups:theauthoritarians/web/chapter3.htm|HTML]] |
# Authoritarian Followers and Religious Fundamentalism | # Authoritarian Followers and Religious Fundamentalism | ||
− | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter4.pdf PDF] [ | + | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter4.pdf PDF] [[googlegroups:theauthoritarians/web/chapter4.htm|HTML]] |
# Authoritarian Leaders | # Authoritarian Leaders | ||
− | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter5.pdf PDF] [ | + | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter5.pdf PDF] [[googlegroups:theauthoritarians/web/chapter5.htm|HTML]] |
# Authoritarianism and Politics | # Authoritarianism and Politics | ||
− | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter6.pdf PDF] [ | + | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter6.pdf PDF] [[googlegroups:theauthoritarians/web/chapter6.htm|HTML]] |
# What's To Be Done? | # What's To Be Done? | ||
− | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter7.pdf PDF] [ | + | #* [http://members.shaw.ca/perchaluk/drbob/chapter7.pdf PDF] [[googlegroups:theauthoritarians/web/chapter7.htm|HTML]] |
==Terminology== | ==Terminology== | ||
Chapter 1 explains the reason for the word "Right" (in "Right Wing Authoritarian") in relation to the "high degree of submission to the established, legitimate authorities in their society" exhibited by [[authoritarian follower]]s: | Chapter 1 explains the reason for the word "Right" (in "Right Wing Authoritarian") in relation to the "high degree of submission to the established, legitimate authorities in their society" exhibited by [[authoritarian follower]]s: | ||
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Because the submission occurs to traditional authority, I call these followers right-wing authoritarians. I'm using the word "right" in one of its earliest meanings, for in Old English "riht"(pronounced "writ") as an adjective meant lawful, proper, correct, doing what the authorities said. | Because the submission occurs to traditional authority, I call these followers right-wing authoritarians. I'm using the word "right" in one of its earliest meanings, for in Old English "riht"(pronounced "writ") as an adjective meant lawful, proper, correct, doing what the authorities said. | ||
− | In North America people who submit to the established authorities to extraordinary degrees often turn out to be political [[conservative]]s, so you can call them "right-wingers" both in my new-fangled psychological sense and in the usual political sense as well. But someone who lived in a country long ruled by Communists and who ardently supported the Communist Party would also be one of my psychological right-wing authoritarians even though we would also say he was a political left-winger. So a right-wing authoritarian follower | + | In North America people who submit to the established authorities to extraordinary degrees often turn out to be political [[conservative]]s, so you can call them "right-wingers" both in my new-fangled psychological sense and in the usual political sense as well. But someone who lived in a country long ruled by Communists and who ardently supported the Communist Party would also be one of my psychological right-wing authoritarians even though we would also say he was a political left-winger. So a right-wing authoritarian follower doesn't necessarily have conservative political views. Instead he's someone who readily submits to the established authorities in society, attacks others in their name, and is highly conventional. It's an aspect of his personality, not a description of his politics. Right-wing authoritarianism is a personality trait, like being characteristically bashful or happy or grumpy or dopey. |
{{-excerpt}} | {{-excerpt}} | ||
− | This explanation seems to imply that the "R" in "RWA" is not to be taken as applying specifically to the ''political'' right wing. Dr. Altemeyer's later elaboration about this question on [ | + | This explanation seems to imply that the "R" in "RWA" is not to be taken as applying specifically to the ''political'' right wing. Dr. Altemeyer's later elaboration about this question on [[googlegroups:theauthoritarians/msg/d15c461f47059982|Google groups]] seems to be saying, in essence, that although the ''phenomenon'' is not confined to the political right, the experiments he did and the data he gathered ''were'' specifically addressing the political right. The "Right [Wing]" was therefore included in the term in order to be as unassuming as possible in giving a label to ''that which was measured''. |
To give another example: One might do experiments using water from Lake Huron and describe the results as representing "the properties of water", but it would probably be more accurate (certainly more scientifically rigorous) to say they represent "the properties of water from Lake Huron". The book similarly describes the properties of "Right Wing Authoritarians", although it seems likely that the results will turn out to be generalizable in many ways to Authoritarians of other stripes. | To give another example: One might do experiments using water from Lake Huron and describe the results as representing "the properties of water", but it would probably be more accurate (certainly more scientifically rigorous) to say they represent "the properties of water from Lake Huron". The book similarly describes the properties of "Right Wing Authoritarians", although it seems likely that the results will turn out to be generalizable in many ways to Authoritarians of other stripes. | ||
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===Reference=== | ===Reference=== | ||
* [http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/ official web site] | * [http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/ official web site] | ||
− | ** [ | + | ** [[googlegroups:theauthoritarians|Google Groups forum]] |
** [http://www.theguestbook.com/read.php/616593 very simple, limited forum] | ** [http://www.theguestbook.com/read.php/616593 very simple, limited forum] | ||
* Google search: [http://www.google.com/search?rls=en&q=%2B%22The+Authoritarians%22+%2BAltemeyer] | * Google search: [http://www.google.com/search?rls=en&q=%2B%22The+Authoritarians%22+%2BAltemeyer] | ||
* [http://www.orderfromrandomness.com/chartmsgs/authoritarians20070506.phtml Order From Randomness]: A few USA 360 statistical correlations to think about when reading ''The Authoritarians'', by Raymond A. Orr | * [http://www.orderfromrandomness.com/chartmsgs/authoritarians20070506.phtml Order From Randomness]: A few USA 360 statistical correlations to think about when reading ''The Authoritarians'', by Raymond A. Orr | ||
+ | * no equivalent article in {{!in|wikipedia}}, {{!in|conservapedia}}, {{!in|dkosopedia}}, or {{!in|sourcewatch}} as of 2009-03-01 | ||
===Commentary=== | ===Commentary=== | ||
* '''2007-01-20''' [http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/1/20/153011/840 Bob Altemeyer Publishes "The Authoritarians" Online] | * '''2007-01-20''' [http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/1/20/153011/840 Bob Altemeyer Publishes "The Authoritarians" Online] | ||
+ | ==Characteristics of Authoritarianism== | ||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
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** ...creativity? artistic talent? | ** ...creativity? artistic talent? | ||
− | Some examples of "left-wing" authoritarianism are raised [ | + | Some examples of "left-wing" authoritarianism are raised [[googlegroups:theauthoritarians/msg/d09f92d11c4751aa|here]]. |
Revision as of 15:27, 1 March 2009
Overview
The Authoritarians is a book written by retiring University of Manitoba professor Bob Altemeyer and published solely online in PDF format, available for free download. (The PDFs are compatible with KGhostView and KPDF, although the footnote links did not work in KGhostView.)
The book is about what it calls "Right Wing Authoritarianism", or "RWA" for short; individuals and groups exhibit varying degrees of this as a personality trait (in two specific dimensions: "follower" intensity and "leader" intensity), and are correspondingly referred to as "high-RWA" or "low-RWA" where they have unusually high or low levels of it in either of these dimensions (the dimension is generally also specified, though "follower" seems to be the default if it is not).
- /traits: characteristics of authoritarians, as described in the book
Links to the Book (complete)
The PDFs are generally formatted better than the HTML version on GoogleGroups.
- Who Are the Authoritarian Followers?
- The Roots of Authoritarian Aggression, and Authoritarianism Itself
- How Authoritarian Followers Think
- Authoritarian Followers and Religious Fundamentalism
- Authoritarian Leaders
- Authoritarianism and Politics
- What's To Be Done?
Terminology
Chapter 1 explains the reason for the word "Right" (in "Right Wing Authoritarian") in relation to the "high degree of submission to the established, legitimate authorities in their society" exhibited by authoritarian followers:
Chapter 1 of The Authoritarians says: |
Because the submission occurs to traditional authority, I call these followers right-wing authoritarians. I'm using the word "right" in one of its earliest meanings, for in Old English "riht"(pronounced "writ") as an adjective meant lawful, proper, correct, doing what the authorities said. In North America people who submit to the established authorities to extraordinary degrees often turn out to be political conservatives, so you can call them "right-wingers" both in my new-fangled psychological sense and in the usual political sense as well. But someone who lived in a country long ruled by Communists and who ardently supported the Communist Party would also be one of my psychological right-wing authoritarians even though we would also say he was a political left-winger. So a right-wing authoritarian follower doesn't necessarily have conservative political views. Instead he's someone who readily submits to the established authorities in society, attacks others in their name, and is highly conventional. It's an aspect of his personality, not a description of his politics. Right-wing authoritarianism is a personality trait, like being characteristically bashful or happy or grumpy or dopey. |
This explanation seems to imply that the "R" in "RWA" is not to be taken as applying specifically to the political right wing. Dr. Altemeyer's later elaboration about this question on Google groups seems to be saying, in essence, that although the phenomenon is not confined to the political right, the experiments he did and the data he gathered were specifically addressing the political right. The "Right [Wing]" was therefore included in the term in order to be as unassuming as possible in giving a label to that which was measured.
To give another example: One might do experiments using water from Lake Huron and describe the results as representing "the properties of water", but it would probably be more accurate (certainly more scientifically rigorous) to say they represent "the properties of water from Lake Huron". The book similarly describes the properties of "Right Wing Authoritarians", although it seems likely that the results will turn out to be generalizable in many ways to Authoritarians of other stripes.
Links
Reference
- official web site
- Google search: [1]
- Order From Randomness: A few USA 360 statistical correlations to think about when reading The Authoritarians, by Raymond A. Orr
- no equivalent article in
Wikipedia,Conservapedia,dKosopedia, orSourceWatchas of 2009-03-01
Commentary
Characteristics of Authoritarianism
Notes
Questions for follow-up studies
- Is there a correlation between "RWA" level and...
- ...interest in spectator sports?
- ...friendships? (do high-RWAs and low-RWAs get along?)
- ...creativity? artistic talent?
Some examples of "left-wing" authoritarianism are raised here.