Right-wing authoritarianism describes psychological submission, not economic politics.

Evidence

When I modify authoritarianism with the phrase “right-wing,” I do not necessarily mean anything political (as in liberal versus conservative) or economic (as in socialist versus capitalist). Rather, I am using “right-wing” in a psychological sense of submitting to the perceived authorities in one’s life (Altemeyer, 1981, p. 152), usually “the Establishment.” The supporters of apartheid in pre-Mandela South Africa would be right-wing authoritarians, and so would those who praised the murderous military police in Brazil. And so would the Chinese who supported the massacre in Tiananmen Square, and the hardliners in Russia who want to reinstate the Communist Party. Although neither the Chinese nor Russian groups are economic right-wingers, they are psychological right-wingers in their support for those they were raised to believe were the legitimate authorities. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 140 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Conservative lawmakers scored higher on all the statements on the Economic Philosophy Scale, with significant differences appearing—despite the tiny samples—on items 35, 37, 38, and 41. Having a right-wing economic philosophy correlated . with party affiliation and . with RWA scores. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 3382 (#complicates, via linked claim)

The original authors recognized that high F scores were not necessarily associated with any particular political view and pointed out the existence of low scorers, supporters of “progressive” policies, who were as rigid and totalitarian as extreme high scorers (Adorno et al., 1950). This datum was among the subtle­ ties lost upon later critics and defenders of the work. It is also worth remem­ bering that the Frankfurt School was not nearly as monolithic in its own political orientation as some subsequent writers have implied (see Stone, Lederer, & Christie, 1993). — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide, 446 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Right-wing authoritarianism is psychological submission, not economic conservatism — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 140; Authoritarianism is an ideological belief system, not a psychodynamic disorder.; Right-wing authoritarians are not uniformly opposed to empathy and introspection — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 4166 (+12 more)

Broader Connections

• Right-wing authoritarianism is psychological submission, not economic conservatism #corroborates (1.00) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 140
• Right-wing economic views correlate with authoritarian personality scores. #complicates (0.80) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 3382
• Authoritarianism can manifest on the political left as well as right #complicates (0.75) — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide, 446