psychology

Peer 6 In his article, Allum (2011) intends to provide data that supports the hypothesis

demonstrating a causal link exists between people who observe authoritarian and occult values

and their increased likelihood to take astrological claims as fact. For this article he defines

horoscopes as “an astrological forecast” much like the weather section in a newspaper (Losh,

Tavani, Njoroge, Wilke, & Mcauley, 2003, as cited in Allum, 2011, p. 342).

Allum believes it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms which fuel belief in

astrology due to the widespread influence it has already gained in Western culture, citing an

article he analyzed which claims that approximately 25% of Americans believe in astrology

(Allum, 2011, p. 343). He expounds on the importance of this figure by explaining how this belief

colours a person’s relationship with and understanding of science; chiefly, an astrology believer

believes their horoscope is scientific (National Science Board, 2006 as cited in Allum, 2011, p.

343). Miller (2004) makes the argument that outright rejection of astrology as a legitimate,

scientific field of prediction is an important marker for determining scientific literacy and that

belief in astrology precludes a necessary basic understanding of science. This is important to

note as civilization sees the effects of scientific research and application more and more in the

lives of citizens.

Allum references the work of philosopher Theodor Adorno who wrote extensively on the

connection between astrology and authoritarianism and capitalism, highlighting the emphasis

astrology places on submission to a higher authority. Adorno coined the term “astrological

identity” stating it “resembles, in all its major characteristics, the mentality of the ‘high scorers” of

the Authoritarian Personality” (Adorno, 1994 as cited in Allum, 2011). The Authoritarian

Personality is used as an attempt to provide a psychological explanation for the rise of fascism

and racism in Nazi Germany by discovering and defining traits which are commonly associated

(Adorno, 1950). Adorno goes further with this train of thought, discussing the relationship that

organized religion shares with astrological belief. He believed that for many, astrology provides

a middle ground for those who desire the unseen hand of a higher power in their lives without

the restrictive beliefs and rules that a structured religion often demands (Allum, 2011).Allum

draws heavily from Adorno’s work and claims a reasonable causal relationship exists between

those who value obedience, conformity, and unquestioning acceptance of moral authority and

credulity regarding the claims of astrology (Allum, 2011).

In the examined studies, the dependent variable is the belief that astrology is scientifically

verifiable. The independent variable for the examined hypothesis is the degree to which the

surveyed participants adhere to authoritarian values in their lives. Participants were asked to

answer questions based on values they believed children should learn from a range of 1-4; 1

indicating not important up to 4 being very important. Allum claims that people who value

obedience highly when raising children show a strong relationship with authoritarian beliefs

(Allum, 2011). Allum also uses other independent variables in a related experiment, namely

testing participants on whether they believe in “God,” a “spirit,” or neither. In addition, he

speculated that the suffix “-ology” would lend credence to astrology as a legitimate field of

science even if the term “horoscope” was not taken seriously.

Significantly, Allum (2011) found a positive correlation between authoritarianism of .22. He

found that for every single point increase of the value of obedience in children (1-4) indicated a

near .25 point increase in the scientific validity of astrology. This result comes after controlling

for other variables. This result shows that participants who took the test and chose an

obedience value of 1 compared to those who selected an obedience value of 4 have just under

1 full point difference in beliefs about astrology (Allum, 2011). Interestingly, both women and

those who are on the political right are slightly more likely to believe that astrology is scientific.

He also found that participants who believed in either “God” or a “spirit” were also more likely to

believe in astrology. He also discovered that older demographics are less likely to believe in the

scientificness of astrology (Allum, 2011).

By overseeing trials which had multiple variations in addition to addressing possible blind

spots and variables, Allum (2011) was able to provide strong evidence showing a positive

correlation between authoritarianism and belief in astrology. By adding certain questions to his

experiment, he was also able to show a separate yet related connection between religious belief

and astrological credulity. Interestingly, both Catholics and non-theistic but self-described

“spiritual” participants had significant correlation to astrological belief (Allum, 2011).

I do not agree that the Authoritarian Personality is not a cause of astrological belief. Allum’s

study was an important step in understanding the phenomenon of astrology in the West yet fails

to address the core causes of its support. A valuable experiment would be one that tests for the

belief each participant has in their own free will and correlates the findings with a belief in

astrology, for example. I strongly believe that a positive correlation would be found in the belief

in determinism and the belief in authoritarian morality as well as belief in astrology. In other

words, this issue is one that seems more fundamental than a simple politically motivated belief

and could benefit from being examined in greater nuance.

References

1. Adorno, T. (1950) The authoritarian personality. Harper & Row. 2. Allum, N. (2011). What makes some people think astrology is scientific? Science

Communication, 33(3), 341-366. DOI: 10.1177/1075547010389819 3. Miller, J. D. (2004). Public understanding of, and attitudes toward, scientific research:

What we know and what we need to know. Public Understanding of Science, 13(3), 273–294. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662504044908