Authoritarian personality

This article is about the psychological trait of authoritarianism. For the form of government that bears the same name, see Authoritarianism. For the book, see The Authoritarian Personality.

The authoritarian personality is a personality type characterized by a disposition to treat the voice of authority figures with unquestioning obedience and respect. Conceptually, the term originated from the writings of Erich Fromm and is usually applied to people who exhibit a strict and oppressive personality towards their subordinates, but was in fact inspired by Siegfried Kracauer's observation of a niche catering to the decisions of those they perceived to be above them and behaving aggressively toward those below them. Regardless of whether authoritarianism is more of a personality, attitude, ideology or disposition, scholars find it has had significant influence on public opinion and political behavior.

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