Threat as a factor in authoritarianism: An analysis of archival data.

Data indicate that environmental threat was reliably associated with changed behavior in most areas of the "authoritarian syndrome" and added validity to the concept of an authoritarian syndrome.

Abstract

Many investigators have proposed that threat is a basic cause of authoritarianism. This perspective suggests the hypothesis that increased threat should evoke increased authoritarianism. To test this prediction, various archival data from 2 threatening historical periods (the 1930's and 1967-1970) and 2 nonthreatening periods (the 1920's and 1959-1964) were examined to determine whether authoritarianism did increase in response to threat. Data indicate that environmental threat was reliably associated with changed behavior in most areas of the Results are consistent with the hypothesis that threat is a cause of authoritarianism and added validity to the concept of an authoritarian syndrome. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)