I'm no expert on the Frankfurt school, but I'd bet that they'd agree that >The concept of the "authoritarian personality" is possibly a bit mythical or one-sided, because it abstracts from the social relations or social environment which allows an individual to become authoritarian.<
------------------------ Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] & http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine > -----Original Message----- > From: Jurriaan Bendien [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2003 11:27 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | > Study of Bush's > psyche touches a nerve > > > > Hmm... how would Lenin score? Abbie Hoffman? > > Lenin would say "I'm not scoring, I'm having a glass of > water". Abbie would > say, "steal this survey". > > Seriously though, a distinction ought to be drawn between > "authority" and > "authoritarianism". For most of his life, Lenin did not have > much authority > other than moral, intellectual and personal authority, > established through > incessant political activity and publications. Even in negotiating the > Brest-Litovsk Treaty with the German High Command, he failed > repeatedly in > his bid to assert his authority, his own position was dodgy, and he > threatened to split from the party and set up a new one. The > concept of the > "authoritarian personality" is possibly a bit mythical or > one-sided, because > it abstracts from the social relations or social environment > which allows an > individual to become authoritarian. In other words, a psychological > reductionism to personal authoritarian impulses is involved. > Quite possibly > there is a "little Hitler" in the heart of everyone, the > question is under > what social conditions that "little Hitler" might be able to > assert itself, > bring it out of the closet so to speak. In addition, the > conceptualisation > or theory of what personality is, assumed by personality tests, is not > uncontroversial, and generally implies personality is a > static, objective > quality, measurable regardless of a person's self-concept, > something which > is often questioned in these postmodernist times full of > identity politics. > The "Bush personality" is largely a media image. > > Jurriaan >
