Correlates of Authoritarianism and Nationalism

This study will examine psychological correlates of Nationalism and Authoritarianism. People with Authoritarian personalities typically have traits such as adherence to conventional values, submission to authority, and a belief that those who do not follow the same conventional rules as they do should be punished or ostracized (Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswick, Levinson, & Sanford, 1950). Nationalists also believe in following conventions, that strong authority is necessary to control human nature, and that those who do not follow the established rules should be punished (Forbes, 1985). Researchers have studied correlations of Authoritarianism and psychopathology (Van Hiel, Mervielde, & De Fruyt, 2002; Laguna, Linn, Ward, & Rupslaukyte, 2009); however, there has been relatively little research on the associations between Nationalism and psychopathology. This study will use archival data from 805 Ball State University students between the ages of 18 and 48 to help fill this gap in literature by examining the association between Nationalism and psychopathology. Because of the common characteristics of Nationalism and Authoritarianism, it is predicted that there will be significant correlations between participant scores on a scale of Nationalism and scales of the MMPI-2 RF typically associated with Authoritarianism, including the Aggression, Anger Proneness, Ideas of Persecution, and Cynicism scales