The authoritarian as measured by a personality scale: Solid citizen or misfit?

Abstract

A quota sample (N = 87) in Sydney, Australia, received the Ray “Directiveness” scale—a scale of authoritarianism in behavior inventory format—together with other measures of important social science constructs. Authoritarians were found not to be older, not to be more likely to be males, not to be more likely to be manual workers, not to be less well educated, not to be more likely to vote conservative, not to be more neurotic, and not to be more dogmatic. Instead, they were internally controlled, achievement motivated, and unalienated. These differences from the normal concept of the authoritarian were held to be explainable by the previously demonstrated greater behavioral validity of a personality scale approach to measurement of authoritarianism.