1992/12/01 by Sam McFarland, Vladimir Ageyev, Marina Abalakina‐Paap · 3 citations
Social Sciences · Psychology · #Social and Intergroup Psychology #Cultural Differences and Values #Political Philosophy and Ethics
paper · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.63.6.1004
openalex publication_date 1992/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
Two studies examined the relevance of the authoritarian personality in the Soviet Union. In a 1991 Moscow quota sample, authoritarianism strongly predicted support for reactionary leaders and military actions and opposition to democratic and non-Russian leaders and to democratic activities. The positive correlation between authoritarianism and support for Marxist-Leninist ideology was significant but lower than in 1989. Consistent with the theory that conventionalism is a central attribute of authoritarianism, Russian authoritarianism predicted support for equalitarianism and opposition to laissez-faire individualism, whereas in a comparison American sample these relationships were reversed. The lower Russian consistencies on scales measuring norms of justice are interpreted as differences in how Soviets and Americans relate abstract thought and values to particular policies and activities. The Authoritarian Personality (Adorno, Frenkl-Brunswik, Levinson, & Sanford, 1950) was published over 4 decades ago, and through the years work on this venerated construct has been extended to a number of non-Western cultures, including