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THE AUTHORITARIAN COSMOS: COMPLEXITY, ELECTIVE AFFINITIES and the “THERMODYNAMICS” of the SELF by TORALF ZSCHAU Doctor of Ph

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THE AUTHORITARIAN COSMOS: COMPLEXITY, ELECTIVE AFFINITIES and the “THERMODYNAMICS” of the SELF by TORALF ZSCHAU Doctor of Ph THE AUTHORITARIAN COSMOS: COMPLEXITY, ELECTIVE AFFINITIES AND THE “THERMODYNAMICS” OF THE SELF By TORALF ZSCHAU Doctor of Philosophy Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 2010 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY July, 2010 THE AUTHORITARIAN COSMOS: COMPLEXITY, ELECTIVE AFFINITIES AND THE “THERMODYNAMICS” OF THE SELF Dissertation Approved: Dr. Riley Dunlap Dissertation Adviser Dr. Jean Van Delinder Dr. David Knottnerus Dr. Anthony Brown Dr. A. Gordon Emslie Dean of the Graduate College Acknowledgements A dissertation is nothing short of Homerian Odyssey into fairly unchartered intellectual territory; a journey of self-exploration that takes one to the outer limits of the self … and – at times – to the brink of insanity. But writing a dissertation reflects more than a simple act of individual vanity; it documents the long and often productive exchanges between great hearts and minds – be they in the guise of a real-life discussion at the local corner pub, the uplifting AHA-effects in a graduate seminar or the intimate dialogue with a dusty treatise on human nature. In short, a dissertation (and this dissertation in particular) constitutes nothing but a fleeting shooting star on the evermore elusive canvas of “knowledge”.... In the spirit and recognition of this collective enterprise, I would like to pay tribute to all the wonderful hearts and minds that – through their real-life presence, support, and guidance – have made this dissertation possible. It is certainly no understatement when I say here that without the friendship, support and encouragement of my chair Riley Dunlap, this exercise of intellectual apprenticeship would never have materialized. It was his professional experience, emotional support and encouragement that carried me through the darker stretches of this credentialing marathon. It was also his razor-sharp analytical skills that often helped me to connect seemingly disparate ideas and keep the project manageable. In addition to my chair, I am also deeply indebted to the professional tutorage and friendship of my other committee members Jean Van Delinder and David Knottnerus who – inside and outside i of class – not only helped me to gain a deeper appreciation of the socially-constructed cosmos in which we all live or were willing to listen to my concerns but also guided me with their professional advice through the different stages of denial. The dissertation has also become much better thanks to the critical but supportive insights of my outside committee member Tony Brown. It was his often “unorthodox” views (at least for a newly initiated sociologist) that helped me to tighten many of my theoretical arguments. In addition to my committee members, I also feel deep gratitude toward Chris Rabold who kept me “sane in an *often+ insane place”. While I feel a twinge of regret for the many hours he had to put up with my incoherent rambles, the dissertation wouldn’t be what it is today if it wasn’t for him. Many of the key insights in this meandering treatise on authoritarianism are essentially joint productions – intellectual crescendos that emerged in the most unlikely places (Panera at 3:35pm) and the most ungodly hours (3:20am after having had one too many Bud Lights on his front porch). I am also grateful to Joseph (Joe) Simpson for his useful comments on earlier drafts as well as his willingness to discuss chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the dissertation. His critical comments on the postulated structure-agency processes, in particular, were crucial in improving the overall parsimony of the model. I also would like to thank my friends Rich Ellefritz and Jan Meij for their comments on earlier drafts as well as their help with the laborious task of proofreading. I am also indebted to Beth Caniglia who made me aware of the cultural biases in my earlier frameworks and thus helped me to broaden my conceptual horizons. Many thanks also go out to Jenny Canullas – who in an interesting ii twist of fate – not only challenged my own – at times – fairly dogmatic views on authoritarianism but who also made me rethink what love and being there for someone really means. Acknowledgements also go out to all those – too numerous to mention – that indirectly have shaped my way of thinking and my way of looking at the world. If it weren’t for all these fellow travelers, I probably would not be where and who I am today …. Finally, and most importantly, I am also eternally grateful to my family in Germany – my mom, my belated father and my brother and his wife – for their unwavering emotional and financial support for all my academic and private enterprises…. I know dad you always wanted me to succeed, and I am really sorry you didn’t live to see this …. but wherever the stream of life has taken you now … this dissertation is for you. I love you! iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... i Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ iv List of Figures ...................................................................................................................... ix List of Tables ........................................................................................................................ x Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 The Challenge of Conceptual Pluralism........................................................................... 1 Toward a More Holistic Model of Authoritarian Phenomena ........................................ 4 The “New” Model: Tackling Complexity ....................................................................... 15 Conclusions: Roads Less Travelled ................................................................................ 22 Chapter 2: Early Conceptual Contours .............................................................................. 24 Philosophical Precursors: Kant, Hegel and Nietzsche ................................................... 24 Intellectual Antecedents in the Social Sciences ............................................................ 27 Erich Fromm: The Father of the Authoritarianism Concept? ....................................... 30 Conceptual Sketches: The Working Class in Weimar Germany ................................ 33 Theoretical Refinements: Studies on Authority and the Family ............................... 36 Intellectual Departures: Escape from Freedom ........................................................ 41 Maslow’s Contributions to the “Authoritarian Character” ........................................... 46 Snapshot I: The “New” Model in Its Historical Silhouettes ........................................... 48 iv Chapter 3: TAP and Alternative Formulations .................................................................. 55 Mainstreaming a Concept: The Authoritarian Personality ........................................... 56 Attempts of Alternative Formulations .......................................................................... 62 Research Diversification: The Early Empirical Goldrush............................................ 64 Allport’s Prejudiced versus Tolerant Personality Typology ....................................... 69 Eysenck’s Toughmindedness-Tendermindedness Distinction .................................. 75 Erickson’s Totalitarian Personality ............................................................................ 78 Rokeach’s Work on Authoritarianism and Political Ideology .................................... 79 Tomkin’s Normative-Humanist Ideology Distinction ................................................ 87 Wilson’s Conservatism Approach .............................................................................. 95 Snapshot II: The “New” Model in Its Historical Silhouettes .......................................... 98 Chapter 4: Conceptual Renaissance ............................................................................... 106 RWA and SDO: Two Routes to Authoritarianism? ...................................................... 107 Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) ....................................................................... 107 Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) ...................................................................... 112 RWA versus SDO: Siamese Twins? .......................................................................... 115 Conceptual Syntheses and Alternative Formulations ................................................. 117 Duckitt’s Group Cohesion Model (GCM) ................................................................. 118 Duckitt’s Dual-Process Motivational Model (DPMM) ............................................ 121 v Kreindler’s Dual-Group-Process Model (DGPM) ..................................................... 123 Feldman and Stenner’s Interactional Models (IM) ................................................. 128 Feldman’s Interactionist Model (FIM) ................................................................. 128 Stenner’s Interactionist Model (SIM)................................................................... 130 Stellmacher and Petzel’s Interactionist Group Authoritarian Model ..................... 134 Jost’s Work on Motivated
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