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The Authoritarians Paperback – January 1, 2007

by Robert Altemeyer (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 49 ratings
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  4. Publisher
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002ACQPSW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bob Altemeyer; null edition (January 1, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 262 pages
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 year and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 49 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
49 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

DGR6989
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Science Presented in a Collouquial, Easy-toUnderstand Way
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
Before his retirement, Bob Altemeyer was a leading social science researcher and expert on the authoritarian personality -- people who are very submissive to authority and to a lesser extent to social dominance theory. This extraordinary book puts the research Bob Altemeyer spent his professional career pursuing into a slim volume, easily read and understood volume, for the nonscientist. The research results help me understand relatives and others who believe without question or at least whatever figures they regard as authoritative (Fox News, Pat Robertson, Trump), even when their favorite authority figure tells them completely contradictory things. It also helped me understand why certain far Right organizations are so often led by "unreliable" (and not infrequently, psychopathic) leaders -- like Jim and Tammy Faye Baker, Jimmy Swaggart, Pat Robertson, etc.) Someone needs to convince the copyright holder to make this volume available on Kindle and Nook!
47 people found this helpful
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Jp Christy
5.0 out of 5 stars What an eye-opener!
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2009
Verified Purchase
I'm on my second listen of this book. I value the insights and the science behind them. Professor Altemeyer's relaxed reading of his own material makes this information an enjoyable listen. More importantly, his explanation of the difference between a conservative outlook and an authoritarian personality has enabled me to understand how a vocal, fearful minority can shout down the civil discussions and nuanced outlook of a less fearful, less forceful majority.

I have been recommending this book to liberals and conservatives alike. Well done!
52 people found this helpful
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Janet
5.0 out of 5 stars Even more prevalent today: Authoritarianism.
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2019
Verified Purchase
Excellent and interesting read including all the notes at the end of each chapter. Goes great with John Deans, Conservatives without Conscious. Should be read by most....
13 people found this helpful
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P. Frank
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2017
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Everyone needs to read this to learn why we are in this national crisis. I learned about this author when reading John Dean’s “Conservatives Without Conscience”, another valuable book to read right now.
23 people found this helpful
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barbara davis
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book.
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2019
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This book is excellent if you want to understand how so many people can believe outrageous lies told by authorities. The author explains how even blatant contradictions can be swallowed by followers. The most amazing thing: it was written in 2006!
Don’t be put off because the author used scientific methods to come to his conclusions. The author has a great sense of humor and you will enjoy learning about aspects of your own personality.
10 people found this helpful
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Dr B
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great book...supports comments by John Dean in his book, Conservatives Without Conscience.
5 people found this helpful
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Cheri Young
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative & done using science
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2013
Verified Purchase
Opened my eyes & ehlped me understand and identify Authoriatarian people seems the Republicans have alot of Authoritarians in their party.
8 people found this helpful
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mathboy
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the half a dozen or so books you'll read in your life that actually will change your life.
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2009
"The Authoritarians" is authored by a researcher from the University of Manitoba named Bob Altemeyer who has spent 40 years investigating the question of who, why and how people become what he terms "right wing authoritarians" which is not to imply that only right wingers are authoritarians, BTW.

I read the Authoritarians and I can tell you it explains a lot. It explains who and what Rush Limbaugh is, how he operates, why he lies and why it doesn't bother him. Ditto Ann Coulter, Roger Ailes and the whole Fox News crew and why they don't see themselves as everyone else (except other RWAs) sees them. It explains what the relationship between the kind of people who are in The Family - h The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power  - and the people who empower them by voting for them and why they're always dangerous.

It also explains what we're seeing right now for instance in the 23rd Congressional race in Upstate N.Y. for anyone who is following that saga. (RWAs can't stand anyone who doesn't exactly adhere to their ideology)

Perfect examples of RWAs are the Fundamentalists / Evangelical Christians, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney but also probably a lot of people you have to deal with on a regular basis, for instance your father-in-law or your neighbor. Understanding what makes these people tick, what they'll likely to do (or try to do) and why they're impervious to reasoned argument or contradictory evidence changed my view of the world; how many books can you say that about? Precious few.

This book deserves to be very widely disseminated and it's lessons learned by all engaged, rational people because the people this books exposes aren't going away, aren't going to start playing fair and to the extent they actually get into power, wreak havoc up to and including end of the world scenarios. A perfect example of the later is WWII where the authoritarian followers of Hitler (sorry for the Hitler comparison but actually it's EXACTLY correct in this context- most of these researchers - Altemeyer, Milgram et. al. started studying their topic as a reaction to the "how could it happen" question about 1932 Germany) catapulted Hitler into power and then supported everything he did, all the while identifying "enemies" and "impure" races as the enemy to be exterminated.

His work is a kind of continuation of Stanley Milgram's famous work in the area of obedience to authority, which I also recommend: Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View (Perennial Classics)

He has a website from which you can download the book for free. He introduces the book on his site with this:

From the site:

OK, what's this book about? It's about what happened to the American government after "conservatives" gained control of Congress in the 1990s and the White House in 2000. It's about the disastrous decisions that government made, which have created the enormous problems we face now. It's about the corruption that rotted the Congress. It's about how traditional conservatism has nearly been destroyed by authoritarianism. It's about how the "Religious Right" teamed up with amoral authoritarian leaders to push its un-democratic agenda onto the country.

"Well," you might be thinking, "I don't believe any of this is true." Or maybe you're thinking, "What else is new? I've known this all along." Why should a conservative, moderate, or liberal bother with this book? Why should any Republican, Independent, or Democrat click the "Introduction" link on this page?

Because if you do, you'll begin an easy-ride journey through some relevant scientific studies I have done on authoritarian personalities--one that will take you a heck of a lot less time than the decades it took me. Those studies have a direct bearing on all the topics mentioned above. So if you think the first paragraph is a lot of hokum, or full of half-truths, I invite you to look at the research.

For example, take the following statement: "Once our government leaders and the authorities condemn the dangerous elements in our society, it will be the duty of every patriotic citizen to help stomp out the rot that is poisoning our country from within." Sounds like something Hitler would say, right? Want to guess how many politicians, how many lawmakers in the United States agreed with it? Want to guess what they had in common?

Or how about a government program that persecutes political parties, or minorities, or journalists the authorities do not like, by putting them in jail, even torturing and killing them. Nobody would approve of that, right? Guess again.

Don't think for a minute this doesn't concern you personally. Let me ask you, as we're passing the time here, how many ordinary people do you think an evil authority would have to order to kill you before he found someone who would, unjustly, out of sheer obedience, just because the authority said to? What sort of person is most likely to follow such an order? What kind of official is most likely to give that order, if it suited his purposes? Look at what experiments tell us, as I did.

If, on the other hand, you're way ahead of me, and believe the extreme right-wing elements in America are still working to take over the country despite the recent election--nay because of it--I think you can still get a lot from this book. The authoritarians aren't going away.

The studies explain so much about these people. Yes, the research shows they are very aggressive, but why are they so hostile? Yes, experiments show they are almost totally uninfluenced by reasoning and evidence, but why are they so dogmatic? Yes, studies show the Religious Right has more than its fair share of hypocrites, from top to bottom; but why are they two-faced, and how come one face never notices the other? Yes, their leaders can give the flimsiest of excuses and even outright lies about things they've done wrong, but why do the rank-and-file believe them? What happens when authoritarian followers find the authoritarian leaders they crave and start marching together?

I think you'll find this book "explains a lot." Many scattered impressions about the enemies of freedom and equality become solidified by science and coherently connected here.

You can get the audio book which is a great listen while you're driving or walking the dog and is read by the researcher himself- I own it and love it  The Authoritarians

and the book in on the web as a free PDF download here:
[...]

Telling other people about this book should be counted as a public service to society.
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