Table of Contents
Characteristics. Authoritarianism is characterized by highly concentrated and centralized government power maintained by political repression and the exclusion of potential challengers. It uses political parties and mass organizations to mobilize people around the goals of the regime.
Is RWA a personality trait?
Right-wing Authoritarianism (RWA) was long considered a personality trait (Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswick, Levinson, & Sanford, 1950; Altemeyer, 1981) characterized by conventionalism (adherence to conventional values), authoritarian submission (placing high value on obedience and respect for authority), and authoritarian …
The 30-item Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWAS) is widely used to measure authoritarianism (Altemeyer, 1998). The scale measures a social attitude dimension that incorporates conventionalism, authoritarian aggression, and authoritarian submission.
Who holds the power in a democratic government?
Democracy, which derives from the Greek word demos, or people, is defined, basi- cally, as government in which the supreme power is vested in the people. In some forms, democracy can be exercised directly by the people; in large societies, it is by the people through their elected agents.
Authoritarian Aggression is a general aggressiveness, directed against various persons, which is perceived to be sanctioned by personally accepted authorities.
What is the authoritarian personality theory?
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.
Altemeyer’s personal distinction is that a right-wing authoritarian submits to the established authorities in society whereas left-wing authoritarians submit to authorities who want to overthrow the establishment.