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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page book review that analyzes and summarizes Bob Altemeyer's The Authoritarian Specter (1996), which is a scholarly, highly-researched and very disturbing book that should be required reading for every American--or North American. Altemeyer's research--which is empirical in nature and detailed extensively in the text-- suggests that there is a tendency in human nature toward acceptance and endorsement of authoritarianism. The writer discusses how this tendency would affect legislative bodies, but also offers a general overview of this extremely important book, which is cautionary in regards to the rise of fascism within society. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khaltmas.rtf
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tendency in human nature toward acceptance and endorsement of authoritarianism. This is not just Altemeyers interpretation or opinion. His book details his research, how he "tried to make the experiments
fair to all sides" and how the "data fell where they naturally did" in over 100 studies (4). Using this research, Altemeyer argues persuasively that there is a "right-wing
authoritarian" tendency in all of us. Rather than liberal or conservative, he differentiates between "high" right-wing authoritarianism and "low" right-wing authoritarianism. Altemeyers definitions for these terms are not precisely political
because he shows how the same human tendency expressed in left-wing political atmosphere, such as Communism, expresses itself it precisely the same manner. Rather than political affiliation, he uses the
term "ring-wing authoritarianism" (RWA) to refer to three distinctive attitudinal clusters: 1. Authoritarian submission--a high degree of submission to the authorities who are perceived to be established and legitimate
in the society in which one lives. 2. Authoritarian aggression -- a general aggressiveness, directed against various persons, that is perceived to be sanctioned by established authorities. 3. Conventionalism --
a high degree of adherence to the social conventions that are perceived to be endorsed by society and its established authorities (Altemeyer 6). As this indicates, by RWA, Altemeyer
is referring not to a political orientation, but rather to a general stance toward society. This is the same sentiment expressed in the statement, "Right or wrong, my country,"
which suggests that the individual will support his state no matter what policies it promotes. While RHA is not political in nature, per se, the term fits, nevertheless, because it
describes its most extreme manifestation, fascism. With this definition in mind, let us know imagine what the a legislative body would be like in which the majority of the
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