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Week 2: The Authoritarian Personality (TAP)

  • Course Details

    • Focus: Individual & Groups (C8510)

    • Instructor: Tom Farsides

Lecture Contents

  • Context and selected quotes from a significant 1000-page literature.

Historical Context

  • Rise of Fascism in 1930s Germany

    • Definition of fascism: A system representing extreme right-wing or authoritarian views.

    • Impact: Millions murdered during this period.

  • Genocide Definition

    • Deliberate extermination of a race or nation.

  • Notable Quote

    • "The war? I can’t find it too terrible! The death of one man: that is a catastrophe. One hundred thousand deaths: that is a statistic!"

    • This quote, often misattributed to Stalin, highlights desensitization to mass death.

Marx's Predictions vs. Reality

  • Marx vs. Capitalism

    • Predicted capitalism would lead to financial crisis and proletarian revolt.

    • Reality: The 1929 Wall Street Crash led to increased compliance with authority instead.

Foundational Reference Material

  • Key Text

    • Adorno, T.W., et al. (1950). The Authoritarian Personality. New York: Harper.

Academic Reception

  • Landmark Contribution

    • A significant work in psychology and studies on fascism (Billig, cited in Roiser & Willig).

Ideological Frameworks

  • Definition of Ideology

    • Organization of opinions, attitudes, and values that shape societal views.

Cultural Ideologies

  • Representation in Culture

    • Cultural ideologies exist independently and are reproduced through media and propaganda.

Individual Ideologies

  • Linking Personality to Ideologies

    • TAP's hypothesis: Political ideologies reflect underlying personal needs.

Character Traits of Authoritarian Personalities

  • Defining Needs

    • Personality shaped by emotional drives and the fading quality of needs.

    • Includes needs to maintain social harmony and avoid punishment.

Formation and Expression of Personality

  • Dispositions of Personality

    • Mainly latent, surfaces in specific contexts.

  • Experiential Influence

    • Personalities evolve from social environments; not static.

  • Impact of Early Experience

    • Early life experiences profoundly influence personality formation.

Societal Influence on Personality

  • Family and Economic Context

    • Families adapt child-rearing practices based on broader social and economic influences.

  • Social Psychological Patterns

    • Observation of common patterns in the opinions and attitudes of individuals.

Research Analysis and Methodology

  • Research Methodology

    • Focuses on individual psychology and contexts shaping ideology.

  • Key Findings

    • Authoritarian ideology appeals based on psychological fulfillment of submission and aggression against perceived threats.

Sampling and Measurement Scales

  • TAP Sample Details

    • Over 2000 white, non-Jewish, middle-class Americans of varying education levels.

    • Development of various scales targeting specific personality traits (i.e., Anti-Semitism, Ethnocentrism, Political Conservatism).

Scale Analysis and Findings

  • Validity and Measurement

    • Various scales measure interconnected complex systems in social thought.

  • F-Scale

    • Measures potential for fascism and its clustering traits (e.g., conventionalism, authoritarian submission).

Conclusion on Authoritarian Traits

  • Characteristics of the authoritarian personality include projecting unacceptable impulses onto out-groups and avoiding self-reflection.

Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO)

  • Key Features of RWA

    • Submission to authorities, aggression for those authorities, and adherence to conventional views.

  • Definition of SDO

    • Desire for in-group dominance over out-groups, showcasing correlations with traits like psychoticism and power.

Conclusion on Prejudice and Authoritarianism

  • Prejudice often rooted in personality; significant correlations between RWA and SDO paradigms recorded.

Modern Perspectives

  • Examining the psychological impacts behind contemporary events such as Brexit.

Further Reading and Resources

  • Available literature on authoritarianism and its modern-day implications.