The Authoritarian Spector is a compelling book by the social psychologist Bob Altemeyer, that discusses the different aspects of the authoritarian personality, all based on both his research and the research of others. Altemeyer makes the claim that different behaviors, “trusting Nixon during Watergate, hating homosexuals, opposing abortion” (45) are all linked through authoritarianism, all the while reminding the reader that there are exceptions to these behaviors. The authoritarian personality falls along a spectrum rather than a cut and paste personality. The author of this book does not delve deeply into why these behaviors are linked to the authoritarianism, unless the reason is itself because they are authoritarian. He does; however, …show more content…
For the genetic side of the argument, Altemeyer brings up the Minnesota Twin Studies. For identical twins raised both together and apart, there was a strong correlation that showed that genetics plays a role in fascist behavior. There was an average correlation of 0.65 for identical twins and 0.55 for fraternal twins raised together (74), which, according to Altemeyer, showed that there was no significant different between fraternal and identical twins; genes did not factor into authoritarianism in this case (73). In another study conducted by Thomas Bouchard, a correlation of 0.62 for identical twins raised apart and -0.18 for fraternal twins (73). This study was able to show that genetics plays a huge role in authoritarian personality. There are still some questions that both Altemeyer and myself had for the identical twins raised together, the main question being whether these twins were treated any differently by those around them. Altemeyer did his own experiment to test the validity of genetics, by studying the RWA correlation of adoptive parents and their children and found this correlation to be 0.55. This correlation does not support the previously proven notion that genes play a role in authoritarianism …show more content…
Altemeyer states that the cause was university and how it exposed them to a wider range of ideas and peers. (85) It’s not hard for me to understand why this happens. Universities are filled with people from all walks of life who are more than willing to share their experiences with those around them. However, Altemeyer does another study with alumni who had first taken the RWA scale twelve years before. He had found that their scores had only dropped 5%, but those without children had their scores dropped 9%. He concludes that the reason behind the lower drop with those with children was because they had children. He does not go in any detail on why children had such an effect on authoritarianism. If there is any wish to understand why children have this effect, this book does not provide the answers. My guess as of now is that parents have become the authorities in their children lives and thus have a greater understanding of obedience to authority because of it. Regardless, from these studies mentioned in the last three paragraphs, it seems to be the case that both genetics and environment play a role on authoritarianism, each one playing a greater role in different
Adorno et al. (1950) believe that authoritarianism stems from a strict, obedience-centred upbringing. He believed that a child who is raised in a household which structures itself upon core values of respect, discipline and obedience will be shaped by these attitudes in adulthood (The Open University, 2015, p28). These attitudes are what shape an individual’s personality, and following the Second World War, Adorno and his colleagues wished to gain a better understanding of the authoritarianism which was at the heart of the Nazi regime, and more specifically, focused on the attitudes towards Jews within Europe. Adorno et al. believed that
On October 9, 1968, a set of twins were born, but separated at birth and ultimately, put up for adoption. The decision to separate the twins came from the adoption agency who wanted to conduct a nature versus nurture experiment; however, the experiment was conducted in secret. However, for unknown reasons, the experiment never developed to fruition. Unaware the child they adopted was a twin; both sets of parents raised a singular child. Thirty-five years later, one twin began a search for her biological mother through the adoption agency, only to find out that she was born a twin. Upon learning her identity, she reached out to her twin and they began the journey of getting to know one another by comparing characteristics that appeared similar such as temperament and mannerism. They even discovered that they both held positions as a film critic and enjoyed almost identical movies.
In addition, they are also hostile and punitive in their attitudes towards people who do not adhere to them. Authoritarian right’s members want society and social interactions develop in ways that increase uniformity. Therefore, they support social control and coercion. Moreover, they use the group authority to place constraints on the behaviors of people. The Authoritarian right’s members are characterized by obedience to authority and punish towards
Altemeyer (1988, 1996, 1998) replicated Adorno et al.’s (1950) study and examined whether the components of authoritarianism correlated with right- wing political views. Although not all of the components of authoritarianism correlated significantly...
...rities and the same preferences. They also felt an immediate bond upon meeting. Jim Springer and Jim Lewis are twins who were separated four weeks after they were born in 1939, and they were reunited thirty-nine years later. The twins discovered that they had married and divorced women named Linda, married second wives named Betty, and named their first sons James Allan and James Alan, respectively. They both drove the same model of blue Chevrolet, and they both enjoyed the same hobby. They often vacationed on the same small beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, and owned dogs named Toy (Heredity 62). There have been many cases reported similar to this one, such as where twins were separated at birth and when reunited, found that they had astounding similarities between the two. By studying twins who were reared apart, scientists are learning how the forces of nature and nurture interact to make us what we are (Chensanow 69).
Most studies show that children from authoritarian families may be somewhat well-behaved. But they also tend to be less resourceful, have poorer social skills, and lower self-esteem. Compared with children from authoritative households, children exposed to authoritarian discipline may also achieve less at school.
When looking at the nature vs. nurture debate, I strongly take the side of nurture, especially after looking at this story. The twins seemed to have more in common than things that they differed. Many of their cultural beliefs were very different, but they had a copious amount of similarities that would have been due to genetics. Both of these articles show that their looks are not the only thing that the brothers have in common.
A psychological construct called the authoritarian personality believes that a person’s upbringing can result in intolerance as an adult. The rigid personality type dislikes people who are different. “A child with an authoritarian upbringing obeyed and then later treated others as he or she had been raised (Schaefer 39).
significant role in determining our behavior and our well-being. “Through new genetic studies, clinical observation, and research on identical twins and. adopted children, we are becoming increasingly aware that many of the human.
Segal, Nancy L. Entwined Lives: Twins and What They Tell Us about Human Behavior. New York: Dutton, 1999. Print.
They also conducted polls on fears, in order to find more authoritarian inclinations. They found that fears such as car accidents and addictive prescription drugs among authoritarians and non-authoritarians weren’t that significantly different, but it appears that fears of threats abroad are significantly more common in authoritarians.
Researches have concluded that “Authoritarian parenting styles generally lead to children who are obedient and proficient, but they rank lower in happiness, social competence and self-esteem” (Cherry)....
...ues come with a lot more disadvantages then advantages. Children of authoritarian parents are unhappy, and have low in self-esteem. They receive poor grades in school and they become bullies. These children become dependent and they have a very poor relationship with their parents because they are scared of them.
Authoritarian-parents who are punitive and focus on gaining a child's obedience to parental demands rather than responding to the demands of the child.Authoritarian parenting styles give little to no options to a child. What the parent says goes. It is a rigid approach to raising children that may have been most effective in times of great famine or toil. It was used most commonly in large, traditional families in which the father was the patriarch, and everyone else was called to follow his command. Times have changed greatly since. Doctors see a problem with this approach in modern times,it creates a distance between parent and child in which the child doubts the parent's love for him. It is based on punishment, which can easily create anger.
It is true that identical twins who are raised together have many things in common,