The authoritarian personality is a personality type characterized by extreme obedience and unquestioning respect for and submission to the authority of a person external to the self, which is realized through the oppression of subordinate people.People with an authoritarian personality rigidly conform, submit without question to their superiors,reject those they consider to be inferiors,and  express intolerant sexual and religious opinions. The authoritarian personality may have its roots in parents who are unloving and aloof disciplinarians.The child then learns to control his or her anxieties via rigid attitudes.It is also a personality characterized by extreme obedience to , and dependence on a powerful leader or father figure .These traits are accompanied by prejudicial , rigid , and tyrannical  behavior against others,especially those who are inferior in rank,or vulnerable or weaker.

 

The history of research on the authoritarian personality stems largely from the end of the Second World War and the Holocaust. During the 1950s, one prevailing fear was the potential spread of anti-democratic ideologies as had been seen by the rapid spread of Nazi fascism. The origin of racism and prejudice was an important topic in the academic world because of the mass genocide of the Jews. Scientists also realized that prejudice and anti-democratic ideologies—and fascism in particular—were not characteristic of any specific group, which meant that they began looking for another theory to explain these phenomena. Concerns over the potential rise of fascism led to a search for a theory to identify those who were susceptible to anti-democratic ideologies. Theodor Adorno, a sociologist, is credited with the theory of authoritarian personality, which addressed the need for an explanation of prejudice and racism. Adorno believed that a certain personality structure was common among people who may fall victim to anti-democratic ideology. Adorno and his colleagues characterized the authoritarian personality structure on nine dimensions, discussed in the following section.Tne implication of the theory that a personality structure causes this susceptibility is that the prejudice or racism is a product mostly of the people believing it, and not of the actual target. More specifically, anti-Semitism would not have much to do with the characteristics of Jewish people, but rather the characteristics of the people who dislike the Jews.

 

The authoritarian personality is thought to emerge from childhood experiences. This reasoning comes from Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. Freud suggested that childhood experiences, especially those with parents, lead to people’s attitudes as adults. For example, if children have a very strict authoritarian parent, they will learn to suppress thoughts, feelings, and actions which might be considered immoral (e.g., aggression or sex drive). Later, because the child learned not to act on certain urges, the urges are projected onto other “weaker” people, often minorities. This results in the negative attitudes that authoritarian people carry regarding other groups. Again, the projection of internal suppressed urges onto others suggests that the prejudice is due to the individual’s personality, not to traits of the oppressed group. Though the term authoritarian personality implies a dominating or controlling personality, in theory a person with an authoritarian personality can actually prefer to be obedient to a clear authority figure. This type of personality desires strict adherence to rules and sees a clear distinction between the weak and the strong. Authoritarian personalities are somewhat conflicted because they want power, but also are very willing to submit to authority.

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 The Authoritarian Personality Type -According to Adorno's theory, the elements of the Authoritarian personality type are:

• Blind allegiance to conventional beliefs about right and wrong

• Respect for submission to acknowledged authority

• Belief in aggression toward those who do not subscribe to conventional thinking, or who are different

• A negative view of people in general - i.e. the belief that people would all lie, cheat or steal if given the opportunity

• A need for strong leadership which displays uncompromising power

• A belief in simple answers and polemics - i.e. The media controls us all or The source of all our problems is the loss of morals these days.

• Resistance to creative, dangerous ideas. A black and white worldview.

• A tendency to project one's own feelings of inadequacy, rage and fear onto a scapegoated group

• A preoccupation with violence and sex

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Sources:https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/race-and-ethnicity/prejudice-and-discrimination 

            http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/authoritarian-personality.html

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarian_personality

https://www.psychologistworld.com/influence-personality/authoritarian-personality

http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/personality/authoritarian-personality/

 

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