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A REVIEW OF THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL TREATMENTS OF LEFT-WING AUTHORITARIANISM THAT INDICATES TO THE AUTHOR THAT THE CONCEPT IS UNPRODUCTIVE. HE NOTES THAT EXISTING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT AUTHORITARIANISM IS A PERSONALITY AND ATTITUDINAL SYNDROME CHARACTERISTIC OF RIGHT-WINGERS ALONE. MAINTENANCE OF BELIEF IN LEFT-WING AUTHORITARIANISM IN FACE OF CONTRADICTORY EVIDENCE IS INVESTIGATED.

Terror Management Theory, based on the ideas of Ernest Becker, suggests that the fear of death is universal. When forced to think about the possibility of one's own death, the first response is denial & deferral. Next, after this impulse has passed, defensive behavior is invoked that usually involves shoring up one's cultural worldview & one's self-esteem. It also involves derogation of other beliefs leading to prejudice, discrimination, & even to murderous acts. This paper briefly recounts Terror Management Theory & supporting evidence. It attempts to draw parallels between the behavior of individuals whose unconscious death anxiety has been raised through a "mortality salience" manipulation to the behavior of authoritarian persons. There is little direct evidence, but there seem to be ample reasons to believe that the authoritarian personality is particularly sensitive to threats of death. 30 References. Adapted from the source document.