The RWA Scale outperformed earlier authoritarianism measures

Evidence

The third reading in this section is by Bob Altemeyer, whose efforts to address the methodological shortcomings of classical measures of authoritarianism (such as the F- Scale) have contributed greatly to the revival of research interest in the construct of authoritarianism. As Brown recounts in Reading 2, the original Adorno et al. (1950) group had identified nine distinctive characteristics of authoritarians. After conducting a prodigious amount of research, Altemeyer (1981) concluded that this complicated typology could be more simply and accurately represented by as few as three distinctive components: (a) authoritarian aggression, defined as “a general aggressiveness, directed against various persons, which is perceived to be sanctioned by established authorities” (p. 148); (b) authoritarian submission, defined as “a high degree of submission to the authorities who are perceived to be established and legitimate in the society in which one lives” (p. 148); and (c) conventionalism, defined as a belief in conventional traditions preserved by established authority figures in society. Using these three components as a conceptual base, Altemeyer then developed a new measure of authoritarianism called right-wing authoritarianism (RWA). Subsequent research by Altemeyer and others has confirmed that measuring right-wing authoritarianism in this way is reliable and valid. Scores on the RWA scale predict racism, sexism, political conservatism, support for the death penalty, patriotism, religious fundamentalism, and militarism. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 401

6. These samples were recruited as part of a series of “pitting experiments” designed to test the new RWA Scale’s validity against that of its famous forerunner, the California Fascism Scale (Adorno et al., 1950), mentioned earlier in conjunction with Milgram’s experiments. Also included were Rokeach’s (1960) Dogmatism Scale, Wilson’s (1973) Conservatism Scale, Lee and Warr’s (1969) “Balanced F Scale,” and Kohn’s (1972) Authoritarianism-Rebellion Scale. (The RWA Scale proved to be rather better than the others: R WA, chapter 4.) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 3878

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines authoritarian aggression, authoritarian submission, and conventionalism, and introduces the RWA scale as a three-component construct.
• XREF: Connects to the Adorno F-Scale tradition and the Frankfurt School; also ties to social dominance orientation (Sidanius & Pratto) covered in Jost’s own work. — connects to: Revised authoritarianism measures diluted the construct’s link to genocide. — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide: The Social…, 457
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 401; Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 3878