• search hit 4 of 358
Back to Result List

Revisiting Authoritarianism

  • This article traces the roots of the Authoritarian Personality (AP) project in the neo-Freudian/phenomenological tradition of the Frankfurt School (FS). It focuses on three of its major proponents (Erich Fromm, Theodor Adorno and Herbert Marcuse) and examines the construction of the F-scale. It outlines how, according to FS-influenced scholars, the AP arose from the disciplinary measures inflicted on late 19th and early 20th century German middle-class youth, and details the sado-masochistic political style of the prototypical AP. It covers the critical reception of this characterization and explanation of authoritarianism by Bob Altemeyer and Anglo-American positivism. It concludes by arguing that in overlooking the inner life of the AP, positivism blinds us to compelling truths, about authoritarianism, and also about ourselves.

Export metadata

Additional Services

Share in Twitter Search Google Scholar
Metadaten
Author:James Aho
Parent Title (English):Critical Sociology, Vol. 46, No. 3 (2020), pp. 329-341. [Online ISSN 1569-1632] [doi.org/10.1177/0896920519830749]
Document Type:Articles
Language:English
Year of first Publication:2020
Release Date:2024/04/04
Format:to purchase via publisher
IdNo:Aho_J_2020
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Articles / Artikel
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Articles / Artikel
Licence (German):
Einverstanden ✔
Diese Webseite verwendet technisch erforderliche Session-Cookies. Durch die weitere Nutzung der Webseite stimmen Sie diesem zu. Unsere Datenschutzerklärung finden Sie hier.