Robert Anthony Altemeyer (6 June 1940 – 7 February 2024) was a Canadian psychologist who was Professor of Psychology at the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...
. Altemeyer also produced the
right-wing authoritarianism scale, or RWA Scale,
[ as well as the related left-wing authoritarianism scale, or LWA Scale.
Altemeyer first defined the right-wing authoritarian personality in 1981,]University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
researchers Theodor W. Adorno, Else Frenkel-Brunswik, Daniel Levinson, and Nevitt Sanford. Altemeyer defined the right-wing authoritarian personality as 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.authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...
, 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 documented 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''.["The Hard Right"]
(30 July 2006). Review of ''Conservatives without conscience'' by Nick Gillespie. ''The New York Times''. Altemeyer's last book, ''Authoritarian Nightmare'', co-written by Dean, is a book about U.S. President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
and his authoritarian followers.
Personal life and death
His son, Rob Altemeyer, was an NDP MLA in the Manitoba Legislature
The Manitoba Legislature is the legislature of the province of Manitoba, Canada. Today, the legislature is made of two elements: the lieutenant governor of Manitoba, lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada) and the unicameral assemb ...
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
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
Prize for Behavioral Science Research in 1986."AAAS History & Archives: Prize for Behavioral Science Research, Bob Altemeyer (1986)"
Books
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* and several subsequent postscripts: Comment on the 2008 election,
Comment on the Tea Party movement
and a short comment on Donald Trump.
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References
External links
The AuthoritariansBob Altemeyer's personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Altemeyer, Bob
1940 births
2024 deaths
Canadian psychologists
Canadian agnostics
Academic staff of the University of Manitoba
Carnegie Mellon University alumni