Thedor Adorno

Thedor Adorno (1903-1969) was one of the first researchers to develop the concept of the authoritarian personality type. His interest in this type of personality began in the 1940s because he wanted to understand how fascist regimes like Nazism could become so powerful and spread so quickly. Along with fellow researcher Max Horkheimer, Adorno identified 9 traits such as submission and unquestioning allegiance to authority, fear, aggression, and unconventional beliefs that contribute to an authoritarian regime. Adorno developed the Adorno F-scale (F was for fascist) in 1947 which is a test used to measure an authoritarian personality.