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Authoritarians in Politics I


Bob Altemeyer:

Social Psychologist - Professor of Psychology, University of Manitoba
Wrote: “The Authoritarian Specter”

He:

  • Assessed thousands of individuals.
  • Used advanced mathematical analysis to reduce authoritarian traits observed to three:
    • Hierarchical Submission,
    • Either / or Conventionalism, and
    • Aggression.
  • Found our basic traits match our politics!!

Altemeyer's work provided a theoretical basis for the dominance the Neocons achieved in US politics over the 2000-2008 period.

Altemeyer' work simplified and confirmed the features observed by Adorno et al and Milgram. Altemeyer may not have realized how his work highlighted the consilience among animal temperament, Adorno's discovery, Milgram's work, and that of Zimbardo, but that does not take anything away from its excellence. He knows how to create, read and interpret data. His mathematics is beyond dispute.

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Posted by RoadToPeace on Thursday, September 13, 2007.

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