The Authoritarian Specter (Hardcover)

~ Robert Altemeyer (Author) "In the fall of 1993, when I began writing this book, the following stories appeared in the news..." (more)
Key Phrases: contrait direction, contrait items, protrait items, United States, Secret Survey, Soviet Union (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Is fascism just around the corner? Will some social crisis or national panic evoke totalitarian solutions? Or are we reasonably protected from arbitrary cancellation of democratic institutions? This book provides assessment of the psychological potential of populations to support, accede, or resist the imposition of authoritarian rule...To our good fortune, Dr. Altemeyer has provided a unique and coherent body of solid scientific information...[and] he deploys a light, clear style and an engaging sense of humor...The most rewarded reader, and the one for whom the book was written, will be that citizen who retains a dedication to the retrieval and preservation of democracy. I hope for such a person that the book stays in print forever.
--Thomas H. Lewis (Journal of the American Medical Association )

A marvelous work, beautifully written. The sections on cognitive behavior, double standards, sex, religion, left-wing authoritarianism, and the authoritarianism of legislators make important contributions to our understanding.
--Sam McFarland, Western Kentucky University

The study of authoritarianism is currently experiencing a marked upsurge of interest and activity, and Bob Altemeyer deserves a great deal of the credit. The research that he reports in this lively book is of great interest to those who are concerned with events such as the Oklahoma City bombing, and will serve as a touchstone for future work.
--William F. Stone, University of Maine

Product Description

The bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, the emergence of militias and skinheads, the rise of the religious right, the attacks on Planned Parenthood clinics, the backlash against equal rights movements, the increase in poverty...these, according to Bob Altemeyer, are all versions of one story--the authoritarian personality in action. But aren't authoritarians Nazi types, kooks, the Klan? These are just the extreme examples, he argues. The Authoritarian Specter shows that many ordinary people today are psychologically disposed to embrace antidemocratic, fascist policies.

The book presents the latest results from a prize-winning research program on the authoritarian personality--a victory for the scientific method in the struggle to understand the worst aspects of ourselves. It connects for the first time the many ways authoritarianism undermines democracy. Many of our biggest problems, seemingly unrelated, have authoritarian roots. The scientific studies demonstrating this are extensive and thorough; their powerful findings are presented in a conversational, clear manner that engages readers from all backgrounds.

This is an important, timely work. It explains a growing movement to submit to a "man on horseback," to attack those who are different, to march in lockstep. Altemeyer reveals that these sentiments are strongly held even by many American lawmakers. These discoveries deserve careful attention in a presidential election year.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 374 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (November 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674053052
• ISBN-13: 978-0674053052
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #600,027 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars psychology of conservatism & fundamentalism, February 7, 2000

By A Customer

Altemeyer is regarded by social psychologists as the world's leading authority on the psychology of political conservatism and the psychology of religious fundamentalism. He has also done the most-extensive studies in the psychology of bigotry. Altemeyer has submitted his fascinating personality-questionnaire to over 50,000 individuals, including young and old, various academic specializations, Republicans, Democrats, Christians, Jews, Moslems, religious reformists, religious fundamentalists, atheists, agnostics, professional politicians, U.S., Canada, the former Soviet Union--many categories of people. He has applied the sophisticated mathematical technique of factorial analysis to the results, so as to identify how a wide range of personality variables naturally cluster together or separate--are actually the same or different from one another. He has found that political conservatism, religious fundamentalism, and all kinds of bigotry--against Jews, gays, Blacks, women, the poor, and many other minority or other weak groups--cluster together as actually a single personality-trait, which he has thus called "Right-Wing Authoritarianism." He was amazed to find, when he submitted his questionnaires to members of the communist party in the former Soviet Union, that they too scored very high on his "RWA" scale--that the U.S.S.R.'s communists were true conservatives. However, communists in capitalist countries, interestingly, scored low on "RWA" or conservatism.

This book is a more-updated version of Altemeyer's ENEMIES OF FREEDOM, which won the Behavioral Science Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. However, it is not by any means a revised edition--it is a new work. Both books are phenomenally well-written, in a style that is both clear and engaging, and organized well. Both would probably have become national, if not international, bestsellers if only they had been promoted reasonably well, which neither was.

It is rare that the virtues of scientific professionalism and popular-appeal attractiveness are combined together. This book, like ENEMIES OF FREEDOM, is such a work. Anyone who wants to understand religious fundamentalism, political conservatism, or bigotry, cannot do better than to start with either of these two masterpieces by Altemeyer.