Authoritarianism is operationalized through childrearing values rather than politics

Evidence

Altemeyer (1981, 1998) found that his own and others’ research disconfirmed Adorno et al.’s psychoanalytic theory of the childhood origins of authoritarianism. He found no associations between authoritarianism and harsh, punitive parental socialization; rather, he suggested that authoritarianism results from social learning (i.e., from having been socialized to see the social world as a dangerous and threatening place). This finding has been well replicated (Duckitt, 2001; McFarland, 1998; McFarland & Adelson, 1996) and is consistent with earlier research that found significant associations between authoritarianism and perceived social threat (e.g., Feldman & Stenner, 1997; Sales, 1973). — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2451 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Class power structures reproduce the infantile situation, making submission to rulers appear rational. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 221; Rigid distant fathers and self-sacrificing mothers raise children prone to authoritarian personality — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide: The Social…, 443; Harsh child-rearing produces an authoritarian personality supporting discriminatory politics. — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide: The Social…, 450 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Authoritarianism arises from social learning about threat, not harsh parenting #complicates (0.78) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2451
• Right-wing authoritarianism forms as a personality trait only in adolescence #complicates (0.76)