Bob Altemeyer

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.