Bob Altemeyer
Bob Altemeyer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 June 1940 |
| Died | 7 February 2024 (aged 83) |
| Awards | AAAS Prize for Behavioral Science Research |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Psychology |
| Institutions | University of Manitoba |
Main interests | Research into authoritarianism |
Robert Anthony Altemeyer (6 June 1940 – 7 February 2024) was a Canadian psychologist who was the professor of psychology at the University of Manitoba. Altemeyer developed the right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) scale and the related left-wing authoritarianism (LWA) scale.
Altemeyer defined right-wing authoritarianism in 1981 as a refinement of the authoritarian personality theory pioneered by University of California, Berkeley researchers Theodor W. Adorno, Else Frenkel-Brunswik, Daniel Levinson, and Nevitt Sanford. According to Altemeyer, a right-wing authoritarian is someone who:
- is naturally submissive to authority figures that they consider to be legitimate,
- acts aggressively in the name of said authority figures, and/or
- is very conventional (i.e. conformist) in thought and behavior.
Altemeyer performed extensive research on authoritarianism, identifying the psychological makeup of authoritarian followers and authoritarian leaders. His studies concentrated on who the followers are, how they got that way, how they think, and why they tend to be submissive and aggressive. He also collected data on authoritarianism among North American politicians.
Altemeyer reported his research in several books, most recently for general audiences in The Authoritarians, written at the suggestion of John W. Dean. Altemeyer's work is referenced in Dean's 2006 book, Conservatives Without Conscience. Altemeyer's last book, Authoritarian Nightmare, co-written by Dean, is a book about U.S. president Donald Trump and his authoritarian followers.
Personal life and death
His son, Rob Altemeyer, was an NDP MLA in the Manitoba Legislature from 2003 to 2019.
Altemeyer died on 7 February 2024, at the age of 83.
Awards
Altemeyer was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science Prize for Behavioral Science Research in 1986.
Books
- Altemeyer, Bob (1981). Right-Wing Authoritarianism. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press. ISBN 0-88755-124-6.
- Altemeyer, Bob (1988). Enemies of Freedom: Understanding Right-Wing Authoritarianism. Mississauga: Jossey-Bass. ISBN 978-1555420970.
- Altemeyer, Bob (1996). The Authoritarian Specter. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-05305-2.
- Altemeyer, Bob; Hunsberger, Bruce (1997). Amazing Conversions: Why Some Turn to Faith and Others Abandon Religion. Amherst: Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1573921473.
- Hunsberger, Bruce; Altemeyer, Bob (2006). Atheists: A Groundbreaking Study of America's Nonbelievers. Amherst: Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1591024132.
- Altemeyer, Bob (2006). The Authoritarians. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba. OCLC 191061772. Archived from the original on 2016-10-04. Retrieved 2017-05-12. and several subsequent postscripts: Comment on the 2008 election, Comment on the Tea Party movement and a short comment on Donald Trump.
- Altemeyer, Bob (2009). Sex and Youth: A Twenty-Four Year Investigation. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba. OCLC 516955225.
- Dean, John; Altemeyer, Bob (2020). Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His Followers. Brooklyn: Melville House. ISBN 978-1612199054.
References
- ↑ "University of Manitoba directory, Psychology Faculty" Archived 2013-09-26 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Bielski, Zosia (3 September 2009). "The myths that surround sexuality and university students". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- 1 2 "The Hard Right" (30 July 2006). Review of Conservatives without conscience by Nick Gillespie. The New York Times.
- ↑ Altemeyer, Bob (1996). The Authoritarian Specter. Cambridge and London: Harvard University Press. pp. 216–234. ISBN 0-674-05305-2.
- 1 2 "Right-wing authoritarianism (RWA)". APA Dictionary of Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. n.d. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
A theoretical refinement of the theory of the authoritarian personality that identifies political conservatism, authoritarian submission, authoritarian aggression, and conventionalism as key predictors of prejudice, racism, and right-wing extremism. [first proposed in 1981 by Canadian social psychologist Robert A. Altemeyer]
- ↑ Adorno, T. W., Frenkel-Brunswik, E., Levinson, D. J., Sanford, R. N. (1950). The Authoritarian Personality. New York: Harper and Row.
- ↑ "Measuring the authoritarian mind-set of Trump's followers". Washington Post.
- ↑ Altemeyer (2006)
- ↑ "Website for the book: Bob Altemeyer's - The Authoritarians".
- ↑ Dean, John W. Conservatives Without Conscience (2006). Viking. New York. ISBN 0670037745.
- ↑ (2020) Melville Publishing House, Brooklyn, NY. ISBN 978-1-61219-905-4
- ↑ "Today's NDP: Rob Altemeyer, your MLA for Wolseley" Archived 2012-08-20 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Update". The Authoritarians. 2024-02-10. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
I regret to inform readers that Bob Altemeyer has passed away.
- ↑ "Robert Anthony Altemeyer". Passages. Winnipeg Free Press. 2024-02-17. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ↑ "AAAS History & Archives: Prize for Behavioral Science Research, Bob Altemeyer (1986)".
- ↑ Altemeyer, Bob. "Postscript on the 2008 election" (PDF). Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ↑ Altemeyer, Bob. "Comment on the Tea Party movement" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ↑ Altemeyer, Bob. "Comment on Donald Trump". Retrieved 31 March 2016.
External links
- The Authoritarians – Bob Altemeyer's personal website
