Bob Altemeyer Explained

Bob Altemeyer
Birth Date:1940 6, df=yes
Nationality:Canadian
Discipline:Psychology
Workplaces:University of Manitoba
Alma Mater:Carnegie Mellon University
Main Interests:Research into authoritarianism
Awards:AAAS Prize for Behavioral Science Research

Robert Anthony Altemeyer (6 June 1940 – 7 February 2024) was a Canadian psychologist who was Professor of Psychology at the University of Manitoba.[1] [2] Altemeyer also produced the right-wing authoritarianism scale, or RWA Scale, as well as the related left-wing authoritarianism scale, or LWA Scale.[3]

Altemeyer first defined the right-wing authoritarian personality in 1981,[4] as a refinement of the authoritarian personality theory originally pioneered by University of California, Berkeley researchers Theodor W. Adorno, Else Frenkel-Brunswik, Daniel Levinson, and Nevitt Sanford.[5] Altemeyer defined the right-wing authoritarian personality as someone who:

  1. is naturally submissive to authority figures that they consider to be legitimate,
  2. acts aggressively in the name of said authority figures, and/or
  3. 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.[6]

Altemeyer documented his research in several books, most recently for general audiences in The Authoritarians, written at the suggestion of John W. Dean.[7] [8] Altemeyer's work is referenced in Dean's 2006 book, Conservatives Without Conscience.[9] [10] Altemeyer's last book, Authoritarian Nightmare, co-written by Dean,[11] 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.[12]

Altemeyer died on 7 February 2024, at the age of 83.[13] [14]

Awards

Altemeyer was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science Prize for Behavioral Science Research in 1986.[15]

Books

Notes and References

  1. http://www.umanitoba.ca/directories/search2003.php?txtSearch=ALTEMEYER&s=t&newSearch=t "University of Manitoba directory, Psychology Faculty"
  2. News: The myths that surround sexuality and university students. Zosia. Bielski. The Globe and Mail. Toronto. 3 September 2009. 14 May 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20130928164146/http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/teens/sexuality/the-myths-that-surround-sexuality-and-university-students/article1275059/?service=mobile. 28 September 2013. dead.
  3. Book: Altemeyer, Bob. The Authoritarian Specter. Harvard University Press. 1996. 0-674-05305-2. Cambridge and London. 216–234.
  4. Right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) . right-wing-authoritarianism . 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] .
  5. Adorno, T. W., Frenkel-Brunswik, E., Levinson, D. J., Sanford, R. N. (1950). The Authoritarian Personality. New York: Harper and Row.
  6. News: Measuring the authoritarian mind-set of Trump's followers . Washington Post.
  7. Altemeyer (2006)
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20200916190422/http://www.theauthoritarians.org/options-for-getting-the-book/ "Website for the book: Bob Altemeyer's - The Authoritarians"
  9. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/books/review/30gillespie.html "The Hard Right"
  10. Dean, John W. Conservatives Without Conscience (2006). Viking. New York. .
  11. (2020) Melville Publishing House, Brooklyn, NY.
  12. http://todaysndp.ca/mla/rob-altemeyer "Today's NDP: Rob Altemeyer, your MLA for Wolseley"
  13. Web site: Update . 2024-02-10 . 2024-02-12 . The Authoritarians . I regret to inform readers that Bob Altemeyer has passed away..
  14. Web site: Robert Anthony Altemeyer . 2024-02-17 . 2024-02-21 . Passages . Winnipeg Free Press.
  15. http://archives.aaas.org/awards.php?a_id=24 "AAAS History & Archives: Prize for Behavioral Science Research, Bob Altemeyer (1986)"
  16. Web site: Altemeyer. Bob. Postscript on the 2008 election. 31 March 2016.
  17. Web site: Altemeyer. Bob. Comment on the Tea Party movement. 31 March 2016. 25 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160325170519/http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/drbob/Comment%20on%20the%20Tea%20Party.pdf. dead.
  18. Web site: Altemeyer. Bob. Comment on Donald Trump. 31 March 2016.

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