Authoritarianism and Intolerance

Intolerance of a radical and exaggerated degree occurs in the ordinary behaviour of some children. With annihilating vigour, these children furiously attack the differences, social, educational, physical, religious, economical and racial, exhibited by other children. To them, differences prevent the 'oiling of the troubled waters' with calming identifications. In many cultures such children similarly capable of intense intolerances 'gang together' their degradations upon the frightening dissimilarities. This process is scarcely questioned; it is accepted as normal instinctual manifestation. When similar children grow up into an adult community, intolerance is repressed, socialized, or is converted into racial prejudice—a prejudice that periodically sneaks out from under the lid. Racial prejudice subsumes war.

Racial prejudice is a symptom of the disease that stems from authoritarianism. Authoritarianism evolves from the misuse of authority. In this cilization the 'significant parent' almost always abuses her authority. As a result of this abuse, children develop into either neurotic conformists or neurotic nonconformists, the respective format depending upon the consistency and character of the parental pressures.1 Ackerman and Jahoda2 describe a virulent type of anti-semitism expressed by some psychopaths and paranold characters. These specific psychopathies belong to the group of neurotic nonconformists. The exaggerated nonconformist is either criminalistic or psychotic, or both. To be sure, his mental illness is usually of sufficient magnitude to warrant institutionalization. Neurotic nonconformists respond to discipline of any kind, to authoritarianism, and to the manifestations of expected authority with a character conditioned reaction. This character conditioning first occurred in infancy or early childhood at the moment the child vanquished a parent who was exerting pressure against him. This 'vanquishing of a parent' reaction becomes the form