Robert Altemeyer's New Book
Psychologist Robert Altemeyer has written a new book and posted it (for free) on line.
Altemeyer is the person whose research John Dean based his recent book "Conservatives without Conscience" on.
He coined the phrase "right wing authoritarian" personality to define the type of person who believes in a hierarchical social structure led by a strong leader. The RWA's are the followers. There is also a strong association between an RWA personality and a belief in conservative social ideas.
You can read the book online here:
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/%7Ealtemey/
In his last chapter he gives some suggestions as to ways to counter the excessive (to him) concentration of political power in the hands of the strong leaders who the RWA's follow. The leaders are called "social dominants".
I find his summary of his 40 years of research compelling, but his ideas on how to effect change a little too optimistic. My reply to his ideas in this blog posting:
http://www.eurotrib.com/story/2007/2/26/14555/2812
Whether you read my essay or not, I suggest looking at his book. This site is a perfect example of what happens when high RWA's meet low RWA's and why debates between them never lead anywhere. A bit of insight into who one is discussing things with may lead to more fruitful interchanges.
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Comments :
Do You
Get the Feeling that there is an overall sense of apathy and cynicism.
No matter what we the people do, The President and his authoritative minions are in charge.
Ignore the congress. Insult the people as terrorist appeasers if they disagree.
Instead of de-escalating the war in Iraq, they have now chosen to make it broader and more expensive and more dangerous. Just so they don't have to admit a mistake.
Frustrating beyond belief.
Or same old same old.
It is the economy, stupid.
There is so much that I have said elsewhere here on that.
There are three people who bear looking at with Altemeyer that address your essay.
The first is the very concept of of a Social Society, (the original "Socialism" Not Communism light) that has been under attack since the ink was still drying on FDR's very successful programs, and when those same programs were somewhat "Imposed" on post war Europe with such positive results for two generations (and those countries most committed still have the highest standard of living by most measurements) While the "conservative" agenda has brought low standards of living to most countries who went that way like Spain, portugal, and most of Latin America.
We are losing comity, because the middle class is under attack. Thom Hartmann has a detailed book on the how what and why. If you don't want to buy the book you can listen to him explain it here, that there are positive benefits to things a government can do that benefit everybody indirectly, that appear to benefit the Poor, and Middle class directly, and even appear to "punish" Upper classes, but in fact only restrain slightly, some very antisocial behavior.
Dr Robert Fuller offers a way to dissuade some of the pathology Dr Altemeyer points out, though he would have it be socially enforced, and I think there needs be a way to enforce accountability beyond that.
If media reality can be kept accountable to the actual reality, RWA's would complain about the "left wing bias" of reality, as they have always done, but they would again be like in the past, and recognized as the tinfoil hat crowd they always were.
I also address those issues both here, and on my own blog at greater thought and length than I have available here at the moment.
The Self Made Man is just not admitting where he got all the parts.