Identifying Authoritarian Personalities free essay sample

This paper presents an in depth look at the authoritarian personality types and its defining characteristics. The author examines characteristics such as persuasion, the use of threat, cynicism and obsession with power. Includes details about genetics and environmental influences. The contempt-respect dichotomy that is the essence of authoritarianism is difficult to observe it is not often that one sees submissiveness to authority followed immediately by aggressiveness to a subordinate so the purpose of the current research is to find other ways of identifying individuals with this trait. Among its defining characteristics are submission, aggression, close-mindedness, superstition and stereotype, fascination with power and authority, cynicism and destructiveness, sexual repression, belief in a dangerous world, and preference for convention. Authoritarians have extremely conservative views, are often racist, respond more strongly to threats than to rewards, and reject those outside of their narrow definition of acceptable. These findings can positively influence the accuracy of an observers judgments in everyday life, and, in doing so, can facilitate dealing with others. We will write a custom essay sample on Identifying Authoritarian Personalities or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page