I'm trying to understand the 'authoritarian personality'

Required reading:

http://www.psybox.com/web_dictionary/Authoritarian.html (basic definition)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarian_Personality
http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/contributions/john_ray.html (claims AP is actually just 'old-fashioned')

We've all met them - people who worship authority, tend to think in black-and-white about social issues, try to control everyone around them to do what THEY think is right despite the reality of the situation - your basic Freeper is a typical example but there are plenty of others.

Most studies of the authoritarian personality concentrate on the child, but what about the parent?

I'm in a situation right now where I'm dealing with someone who is attempting to control a situation (sorry, can't get much more specific) and feels they can do this with impunity because they are "right". We've already gone to court once and they got slapped down bigtime by the judge AND their own lawyer, but they're still at it. It's costing me a fortune in legal fees to get this person to back down and if they keep it up too long they're going to be up on contempt of court charges - on my dime.

Most descriptions of the authoritarian personality concentrate on what we call sheeple. My concern is with the other side of the coin - Barbara Bush's "perfect mind".

can be identified in childhood. You begin to see these tendencies when people are young. I think personalities are set by the time we begin school.

Who grow up to become workplace bullies and their enablers?

I think Adorno studied 1940s Germany. Maybe read what he says about it? It's been a long time, but I think he gives a good analysis of the qualities of authoritarian people and how those qualities are manifest.



From one of your links up there - pretty interesting:

"...For example, his question in The Authoritarian Personality (Adorno, T.W., Frenkel-Brunswik, E., Levinson, D.J. & Sanford, R.N., 1950, ISBN 0393311120). This and other works written during his sojourn in California was whether American Fundamentalist authoritarianism could be spoken of as having a relationship to Continental Fascism without sounding a false note in terms of the partial totality of a "theory" that American authoritarians MIGHT bring about a different but equally or more pernicious form of Fascism in the US."

While many authoritarian people tend towards fascism, I'm more interested in more of their other traits, especially "nothing will do".

With this specific person, nothing will do but a specific set of circumstances. If this person doesn't get her way, she goes to court, or completely throws in the towel. There appears to be no middle ground.

I'm in a similar situation, and can see the parallels.

edited for typo

for insight into the authoritarian personality

http://www.325collective.com/Wilhelm%20Reich_-_The_Mass_Psychology_Of_Fascism.pdf

,...personality-types?

I used to want to "understand" authoritarian/sociopathic personality types until I accepted they don't have the 'empathy gene' and require meds to function. As a matter of fact, I'll bet every member of the neocon regime are on some kind of meds to tone down the behavior they would exhibit without them.

Imagine that!!!

but still have authoritarian traits. They are loyal to the point of amoral behavior for their leaders and will defend them rabidly; doing whatever they ask. Even when the ship is sinking, they can't see it.

Unfortunately when it comes to bullies the only way to stop them is death - and sometimes not even that. Rich bullies have been known to leave enough money behind to keep terrorizing people in the legal system long after they die.

I feel for you. Truly.