The Authoritarians

By: Bob Altemeyer

Narrated by: Bob Altemeyer

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

The Authoritarians summarizes the research of Dr. Robert Altemeyer, whose professional career has focused on the study of the Authoritarian Personality, and development of the Right-Wing Authoritarian (RWA) personality and ideological variable widely studied in political, social, and personality psychology.

The foreword is provided by John W. Dean, former Nixon White House counsel and New York Times best-selling author.

©2008 Bob Altemeyer (P)2008 Bob Altemeyer

Very informative!

This might be the most important book I have listened to. The subject matter is absolutely relevant today, as it was when published.

Needs more  about left-wing authoritarians

I am what used to be called a liberal. Even so I would like to have seen more work on left-wing authoritarian followers. Merely by talking, mostly about right wing, it works against the perception of objectivity  Or perhaps betrays a lack of it.

A must for political junkies and regular folks

Would you listen to The Authoritarians again? Why?

Yes The information is vital to understanding our future elected officials and their constituents.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The research and the results and how it impacts every one.

Have you listened to any of Bob Altemeyer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It was all very moving .

Any additional comments?

When John W Dean(you might want to Google that) witnessed some unconscionable behavior by some folks close to him, he sought out to try and explain and understand what exactly was going on. Dean has a lot of respect and close friendships with some very conservative people, one of them being Barry Goldwater (Google if you don't know ), who he wrote a very good book about. Dean had planned to write a book about conservatives and their conscience, with Goldwater but Barry became ill and passed before that could happen. Dean eventually decided to press on and while doing research he was drawn to Bob Altemeyer who was doing extensive research on authoritarianism. This research seemed to explain the behavior Dean was perplexed by. Dean befriended Altemeyer and drew from his research to complete his work. Altemeyer has been awarded the AAAS Prize for Behavioral Science Research but it doesn't seem he takes himself too seriously . The book was very informative, easy to absorb and enjoyable . It's very important materiel that might help some folks explain their own behavior or folks close to them . I chose the audible version of the book that Altemeyer himself narrates quite well and saved me some cash. I learned a lot from this material and recommend it to any and every one seeking a deeper understanding of politics, politicians and those who choose to follow them .

A solid listen explaining right-wing followers.

Makes some good points about the mentality that fuels their movements and belief systems. Makes sense of how and why they illogically follow leaders even if it will inevitably lead to ruin. Showcases they are more concerned about what could happen as opposed to what is actually happening. And there was an interesting moment about how people with an authoritarian mentality are more likely to be immoral, aggressive and prejudicial, even from a purely objective standpoint, and that religious delusion and self-righteousness will keep them going on with immoral actions.

The author does a good job of breaking down the information, chapter by chapter, and has a couple of fascinating experiments (like when different types of authoritarians ran a simulation on how to run the world, 18th disastrous results), however the book takes a bit to really get going and his conversational, mildly self-depricating of reading the book was hit or miss as far as taking him seriously. Good read, overall.

Why Do Some Americans Support Despots?

The best book I've found yet, in explaining why some citizens adore Trump. Professor Altemeyer does a brilliant job here. This book was published in 2006...so it wasn't written specifically with President Trump in mind. This makes his analysis all the more objective, IMHO. I finished it in 4 sessions, over two days. It's an absolutely compelling study of the authoritarian mind.

a Must listen

Bob Altemeyer's studies into Authoritarian thinking and operation sheds light on how the more aggressive side of conservatism arguments and actions make sense. at least to the authoritarian.

Settle Down Authoritarian Readers.

If you misinterpret the message of this book, you will find that it appears to be some professor trashing what appears to be single political groups. He isn't. The book does draw parallels between his theories on human behavior and current political issues, but if, upon reading this book, you find that he is getting too political, you are missing the message. These are observations, not opinions (for the most part).

Important book; not what you think

Altemeyer has an important thesis: we need to be aware of authoritarian followers. The title makes you think the book is about authoritarian leaders, but the real danger is how many of us tend to be sheep-like followers of said leaders. The book is a bit dated, written just as Obama was taking office. I would love to know if he is able to see the same tendency to be sheep-like among the left-leaning Obama fans as he did among the followers of GWB.
The flip-side of being dated is how prescient he is about Donald Trump.

I would caution conservatives to start with a book like The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. Jumping straight into The Authoritarians is likely to repulse them where they are unable to get beyond the author's bias and appreciate how much truth there is here.

Headline says optional

Mind blowing. Really puts things into perspective and thoughts/assumptions into fact-backed words. It is even more relevant today.

More pertinent now than when it was written

It was almost prophetic. I was aware of many of the ideas it covers, but this book adds a lot of nuance I wasn't familiar with.