New Authoritarianism - A Research Note

Abstract

Theories of modern authoritarianism have identified the nation state and the family as the major determinants of the development of the authoritarian character. Family was conceived as the psychological agent of the nation state in the process leading to the emergence of superego to maintain strict borders between normalcy and deviance. The result was the authoritarian personality  whose love, adoration and readiness for submission are aroused by power represented by external  authorities. In contemporary Western societies neither external nor internal authorities play any role  in the life of the individual. What we find is that instead of disappearing, authoritarianism has become  more prominent. Based on a series of surveys carried out in the fall of 2010 in Hungary symptoms of  authoritarianism will be presented such as anti-democratic attitudes, approval with extreme right  wing party programs, dogmatic orientations, agreement with authoritarian statements, and readiness  to take positions in which members of a group look upon members of other groups as inferior. Multivariate analysis will be carried out in order to reveal the path leading to the new authoritarianism.