the traits that are essential for a person to fall within the definition, but not every person who meets the definition will have all the traits, even though many do. If you add these key definitional traits, you will have a portrait of Double High authoritarians; people who display all the traits of both types are likely to be the particularly alarming Double Highs:
Social Dominators—Leaders:
typically men
dominating*
opposes equality*
desirous of personal power*
amoral*
intimidating and bullying
faintly hedonistic
vengeful
pitiless
exploitive
manipulative
dishonest
cheats to win
highly prejudiced (racist, sexist, homophobic)
mean-spirited
militant
nationalistic
tells others what they want to hear
takes advantage of “suckers”
specializes in creating false images to sell self
may or may not be religious
usually politically and economically conservative/Republican
Right-Wing Authoritarian—Followers:
men and women
submissive to authority*
aggressive on behalf of authority*
conventional*
highly religious
moderate to little education
trust untrustworthy authorities
prejudiced (particularly against homosexuals, women, and followers of religions other than their own)
mean-spirited
narrow-minded
intolerant
bullying
zealous
dogmatic
uncritical toward chosen authority
hypocritical
inconsistent and contradictory
prone to panic easily
highly self-righteous
moralistic
strict disciplinarian
severely punitive
demands loyalty and returns it
little self-awareness
usually politically and economically conservative/Republican
A few closing thoughts about authoritarian personalities. As distasteful as these qualities may appear, for authoritarians they can be (secretly or even openly) very attractive. While these traits may, or may not, be found in all persons who are social dominators or right-wing authoritarians, they are characteristics of those who test high. People who test low tend to have fewer of these traits, but it is not possible to say which ones they do possess. Although most authoritarians will deny they are such, often failing to recognize these qualities in themselves, low testers may, in fact, be justified in their denials. The good news is that when some high-testing right-wing authoritarians do become aware of their characteristics they actually do work to change their outlook and behavior. Social dominators, however, do not seem able to make such adjustments. Authoritarianism is not a pathology; nor is the term pejorative, for it is descriptive.
However one views authoritarians, their behavior is not without significance, for they have played a major role in developing the contemporary conservative movement, and now they are taking conservatism increasingly toward
| Conservatives | Conservatives |
|---|---|
| They have a high authoritarian personality with a host of negative traits. | They have a low authoritarian personality with few negative traits. |
| They pretend to honor the past while often drawing on its worst. | They draw on the wisdom of the past and not the worst. |
| Order and safety always trump freedom when government needs to balance them. | Freedom always trumps order and safety when government needs to weight them. |
| A “unitary executive” branch operates under the president, who has virtually exclusive and unlimited powers in foreign affairs as commander-in-chief. | They insist that the separation of powers in government be maintained, along with checks and balances in all areas. |
| If conservatives control Congress they run it their way and exclude others from having a say. | They believe Congress must be a deliberative body free from tyranny of the majority. |
