The Authoritarian Test

[ana]

Yep, remember this test is measuring your response to authority. In order to get the very lowest scores you had to strongly disagree with anything that suggested authority as a solution and strongly agree with anything having to do with freedom of expression, etc. In between responses that read 'too much' into the question raise your score. ;)

That's what puzzles me, if you respond negatively to these questions you get a higher score, or am I seeing it wrong?

If you wrote down a “-4" that’s scored as a 9.
If you wrote down a “-3" that’s scored as an 8.
If you wrote down a “-2" that’s scored as a 7.
If you wrote down a “-1" that’s scored as a 6.
If you wrote down a “0" or left the item unanswered, that’s scored as a 5.
If you wrote down a “+1" that’s scored as a 4.
If you wrote down a “+2" that’s scored as a 3.
If you wrote down a “+3" that’s scored as a 2.
If you wrote down a “+4" that’s scored as a 1.


___ 5. It is always better to trust the judgment of the proper authorities in government and religion than to listen to the noisy rabble-rousers in our society who are trying to create doubt in people’s minds.

___ 7. The only way our country can get through the crisis ahead is to get back to our traditional values, put some tough leaders in power, and silence the troublemakers spreading bad ideas.

___ 10. Our country will be destroyed someday if we do not smash the perversions eating away at our moral fiber and traditional beliefs.

___ 12. The “old-fashioned ways” and the “old-fashioned values” still show the best way to live.

___ 14. What our country really needs is a strong, determined leader who will crush evil, and take us back to our true path.

___ 16. God’s laws about abortion, pornography and marriage must be strictly followed before it is too late, and those who break them must be strongly punished.

___ 17. There are many radical, immoral people in our country today, who are trying to ruin it for their own godless purposes, whom the authorities should put out of action.

___ 19. Our country will be great if we honor the ways of our forefathers, do what the authorities tell us to do, and get rid of the “rotten apples” who are ruining everything.

___ 22. This country would work a lot better if certain groups of troublemakers would just shut up and accept their group’s traditional place in society.

I looked at the above sentences taking into account that the noisy rabble-rousers and rotten apples may be those seeing pathology in authorities, that tradicional beliefs and values may be those regarding pathological religion, science, politics, rigid moral convictions etc, that no leader is needed to stop evil in society's but knowledge and awareness of the same by people themselves, and that it is not "God's Laws that matters but consciousness laws and they are already manifested trough levels of awareness with their specific limitations and free will to choose.

 

[Buddy]

I looked at the above sentences taking into account that the noisy rabble-rousers and rotten apples may be those seeing pathology in authorities, that tradicional beliefs and values may be those regarding pathological religion, science, politics, rigid moral convictions etc, that no leader is needed to stop evil in society's but knowledge and awareness of the same by people themselves, and that it is not "God's Laws that matters but consciousness laws and they are already manifested trough levels of awareness with their specific limitations and free will to choose.

Why did you take all that into account? The test was not created by Laura and co., for our purposes or anything like that, it was created by Bob for folks stuck in the consensus reality, viewing life from the pro-authority, anti-authority or mixed conventional perspectives, OSIT. That's the role I adopted in order to make the answers statistically significant for Bob's purposes, as I understood things at the time. :)

 

[ana]

I looked at the above sentences taking into account that the noisy rabble-rousers and rotten apples may be those seeing pathology in authorities, that tradicional beliefs and values may be those regarding pathological religion, science, politics, rigid moral convictions etc, that no leader is needed to stop evil in society's but knowledge and awareness of the same by people themselves, and that it is not "God's Laws that matters but consciousness laws and they are already manifested trough levels of awareness with their specific limitations and free will to choose.

Why did you take all that into account? The test was not created by Laura and co., for our purposes or anything like that, it was created by Bob for folks stuck in the consensus reality, viewing life from the pro-authority, anti-authority or mixed conventional perspectives, OSIT. That's the role I adopted in order to make the answers statistically significant for Bob's purposes, as I understood things at the time. :)

True, I was not taking into account the consensus reality and took it only from my perspective. Thanks Bud

Anyway there are some questions above wich imply following authorities like 5/16/17 and 19 osit, and if you strongly disagree you get a higher score

 

[Oxajil]

Re: The Authoritarian Test

The thing is I don't think there's anything wrong with authority per se. In order for pple to live together, even in small communities, you gotta have some kind of rules, because within communities, you're bound to find authoritarian types who need (and ask for!) an "authority" to tell them what to do. The nature of the "authority" will determine their behaviour. Let's face it, everyone is not able to think for themselves… some people (OP's?) seem hardwired a certain way which prevents them to think for themselves. Or so it seems. It doesn't mean some people who are now 'following the flock' couldn't be taught to think for themselves, within communities where knowledge is promoted and encouraged.

Just to be clear, by 'authority', I don't mean some kind of patriarchal system which sets arbitrary rules and obliges everyone to follow them (like in the judeo-christian system we have now). I rather means something like 'guidance", or "showing by example".

I wonder if there were such rules in those paleolithic communities, maybe like you said, by guidance and showing example. I like that idea. Kinda like how the C's were talking about elders rather than leaders.
Maybe in a community of people who have a healthy working conscience, the right behavior just comes naturally/easier (atleast to a greater extent, perhaps). And it seems to me, that nowadays, the conscience that most people have is being masked, off-limits to a certain extent, by so many manipulations and lies from almost every angle. If people could act by conscience and knowledge, full-potentially, I think it would be a powerful thing; healing and bonding. Just some of my thoughts after reading what you wrote.

 

[Laura]

Re: The Authoritarian Test

I wonder if there were such rules in those paleolithic communities, maybe like you said, by guidance and showing example. I like that idea. Kinda like how the C's were talking about elders rather than leaders.
Maybe in a community of people who have a healthy working conscience, the right behavior just comes naturally/easier (atleast to a greater extent, perhaps). And it seems to me, that nowadays, the conscience that most people have is being masked, off-limits to a certain extent, by so many manipulations and lies from almost every angle. If people could act by conscience and knowledge, full-potentially, I think it would be a powerful thing; healing and bonding. Just some of my thoughts after reading what you wrote.

Hopefully you, and everyone else, are reading The Odyssey thread where we are trying to suss out what was really going on back then.

 

[anart]

BUT, on the question about "traditional values", I was thinking YEAH - like PALEOLITHIC! So, that got a strong yes from me!

Yes, that's understandable, but having read the book, it's clear he wasn't meaning Paleolithic when he used the phrase 'traditional values'. He meant right wing/fundie Christian values - unless I totally misread him, which is possible. For me, at least, having read the book, that's how I took it, thus my answer.

I also don't think people should just live every which way with no foundational thing going on because that situation is what exists today and was caused by psychopaths turning people away from their spiritual roots and against one another. But I DO think that the foundational, objective reality should be sussed out together, not imposed.

Exactly - the point is it should be determined by what naturally works best, not imposed from outside or authority.

I also wonder if those people who got very, very low scores might not be somewhat "lukewarm" about reality and not able to polarize in any direction?

Speaking for myself, I am definitely polarized - though I guess 35 isn't a super low score, either.

I can't help but think of some of the folks who got very low scores described in Altemeyer's other book "Amazing Conversions" and were athiests to the core, evolutionists, etc. Some of them suffered a great deal to leave their religions, but they didn't seem to have any drive in any direction. It's weird.

Rather like a 'burn out' and they just don't care and want to be left alone? I could see that happening. Also, it could be that they know, or think, that if (normal) people are left to their own devices, they'll do what's best for everyone and things will work without someone telling them what's right and wrong? Not sure...

 

[Laura]

I can't help but think of some of the folks who got very low scores described in Altemeyer's other book "Amazing Conversions" and were athiests to the core, evolutionists, etc. Some of them suffered a great deal to leave their religions, but they didn't seem to have any drive in any direction. It's weird.

Rather like a 'burn out' and they just don't care and want to be left alone? I could see that happening. Also, it could be that they know, or think, that if (normal) people are left to their own devices, they'll do what's best for everyone and things will work without someone telling them what's right and wrong? Not sure...

They aren't aware of 50% organic portal possibility. Like I said, I answered the test based on what I understand about reality at present. My objective was to try to see myself better, not play a role.

 

[Aaron r]

39

 

[Thomas Alan]

40

Hmmm, it didn't occur to me that "traditional values" could mean Paleolithic values.

Or that "leaders" could mean those who are truly wise and have the well-being of others at heart.

I guess it's true with any test. Those taking the test filter it through themselves. It can reveal things about ourselves if we are open to that. We're so used to seeing words used as if they have rubber meanings that it is difficult to see them as they really are.

Mac

 

[GAIA]

I got 26

 

[dannybananny]

I got 25, I think it's good to be externally considerate when dealing with this kind of tests, being aware of authors knowledge and on that base you can determine more or less what they're referring to or thinking. This was simplistic test that was based on the moral standards and knowledge of general population.

The thing is I don't think there's anything wrong with authority per se. In order for pple to live together, even in small communities, you gotta have some kind of rules, because within communities, you're bound to find authoritarian types who need (and ask for!) an "authority" to tell them what to do. The nature of the "authority" will determine their behaviour. Let's face it, everyone is not able to think for themselves… some people (OP's?) seem hardwired a certain way which prevents them to think for themselves. Or so it seems. It doesn't mean some people who are now 'following the flock' couldn't be taught to think for themselves, within communities where knowledge is promoted and encouraged.

Just to be clear, by 'authority', I don't mean some kind of patriarchal system which sets arbitrary rules and obliges everyone to follow them (like in the judeo-christian system we have now). I rather means something like 'guidance", or "showing by example".

I see it way around, I see different what you say, where you see authority I see some general rules based on mutual understanding and polarization, and I think rules aren't same as authority, which assumes some leaders that control system for "others" and have power that is granted to them by some trust or consensus. Rules can be authoritative but they can also be benign(in interest of hole community), depends on the society we live in (today there are rules that are positive, but most are authoritarian). That's at least the way I see it.

I'm at a 21 here. I took the test on the idea of how I wished the world was however, and not how Mr. Joe Mainstream from Conservative Ave. feels.

Maybe it wasn't form of wishful thinking but the knowledge of your true being.

 

[cubbex]

I got a 55. I saw the word "psychopath" many of the list items, and that affected the results. Here is how I read a few:

10. Our country will be destroyed someday if we do not smash the psychopathy eating away at our moral fiber and traditional beliefs.
17. There are many radical, psychopathic people in our country today, who are trying to ruin it for their own psychopathic purposes, whom the people should put out of action.
22. This country would work a lot better if the psychopaths would just shut up and accept their group's traditional place in a volcano.

True. I think I got what the students got: 75

 

[Vulcan59]

Got a 68. :)

 

[Gertrudes]

BUT, on the question about "traditional values", I was thinking YEAH - like PALEOLITHIC! So, that got a strong yes from me!

Same here. Although I was also caught in trying to figure out what the author meant more specifically, which would very unlikely be paleolithic, so I didn't know what to answer. This, amongst other examples, is what made this test so confusing for me.

Not only were the questions broad enough to give space for plenty of interpretation, but the fact that the test was most probably designed for the average Joe for whom there's no such thing as psychopathy, it will likely give very dubious results within us. Reading others' accounts, each of us probably had a very different context in mind when answering those questions.

 

[Windmill knight]

I scored 55.