Self Analysis Paper

RWA

Instructions: This survey is part of an investigation of general public opinion concerning a variety of social issues. You will probably find that you agree with some of the statements, and disagree with others, to varying extents. Please indicate your reaction to each statement by writing the number next to each statement that corresponds with the following 9-point scale:

very strongly strongly moderately slightly neutral slightly moderately strongly very strongly disagree disagree disagree disagree agree agree agree agree

1 . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . 9

You may find that you sometimes have different reactions to different parts of a statement. For example, you might very strongly disagree with one idea in a statement, but slightly agree with another idea in the same item. When this happens, please combine your reactions and write down how you feel “on balance.”

_____ 1. The established authorities generally turn out to be right about things, while the radicals and protesters are usually just “loud mouths” showing off their ignorance.

_____ 2. Women should have to promise to obey their husbands when they get married.

_____ 3. Our country desperately needs a mighty leader who will do what has to be done to destroy the radical new ways and sinfulness that are ruining us.

_____ 4. Gays and lesbians are just as healthy and normal as anybody else.

_____ 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.

_____ 6. Atheists and others who have rebelled against the established religions are no doubt every bit as good and virtuous as those who attend church regularly.

_____ 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 news.

_____ 8. There is absolutely nothing wrong with nudist camps.

_____ 9. Our country needs free thinkers who will have the courage to defy traditional ways,

_____10. Our country will be destroyed someday if we do not smash the perversions eating away at our moral fiber and traditional beliefs.

_____11. Everyone should have their own life-style, religious beliefs, and sexual preferences, even if it makes them different from everyone else.

very strongly strongly moderately slightly neutral slightly moderately strongly very strongly disagree disagree disagree disagree agree agree agree agree

1 . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . 9

_____12. The “old-fashioned ways” and “old-fashioned values” still show the best way to live.

_____13. You have to admire those who challenged the law and the majority’s view by protesting for women’s abortion rights, for animal rights, or to abolish school prayer.

_____14. What our country really needs is a strong, determined leader who will crush evil, and take us back to our true path.

_____15. Some of the best people in our country are those who are challenging our government, criticizing religion, and ignoring the “normal way things are supposed to be done.”

_____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. It would be best for everyone if the proper authorities censored magazines so that people could not get their hands on trashy and disgusting material.

_____18. There is nothing wrong with premarital sexual intercourse.

_____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.

_____20. There is no “ONE right way” to live life; everybody has to create their own way.

_____21. Homosexuals and feminists should be praised for being brave enough to defy “traditional family values.”

_____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.

_____23. 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.

_____24. People should pay less attention to the Bible and the other old forms of religious guidance, and instead develop their own personal standards of what is moral and immoral.

_____25. What our country needs most is discipline, with everyone following our leaders in unity.

very strongly strongly moderately slightly neutral slightly moderately strongly very strongly disagree disagree disagree disagree agree agree agree agree

1 . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . 9

_____26. It’s better to have trashy magazines and radical pamphlets in our communities than to let the government have the power to censor them.

_____27. The facts on crime, sexual immortality, and the recent public disorders all show we have to crack down harder on deviant groups and troublemakers if we are going to save our moral standards and preserve law and order.

_____28. A lot of our rules regarding modesty and sexual behavior are just customs which are not necessarily any better or holier than those which other people follow.

_____29. The situation in our country is getting so serious, the strongest methods would be justified if they eliminated the troublemakers and got us back to our true path.

_____30. A “women’s place” should be wherever she wants to be. The days when women are submissive to their husbands and social conventions belong strictly in the past.

_____31. It is wonderful that young people today have greater freedom to protest against things they don’t like, and to make their own “rules” to govern their behavior.

_____32. Once our government leaders give us the “go ahead,” it will be the duty of every patriotic citizen to help stomp out the rot that is poisoning our country from within.

Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale - Scoring Instructions

1) Reverse the scores on the following items: 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 21, 24, 26, 28, 30, 31

(1 = 9, 2 = 8, 3 = 7, 4 = 6, 5 = 5, 6 = 4, 7 = 3, 8 = 2, 9 = 1)

2) After reversing the appropriate items, add up your scores on all 32 items.

3) Divide this sum by 32 (the number of items on the scale) to compute your score.

Higher scores indicate higher Authoritarianism, low scores indicate lower Authoritarianism. Usually this scale is not scored for one person at a time, so there are no "cut-off" values published to tell you what your scores mean. that is, this is not a clinical scale, but a research scale, so is used to determine, for an entire sample of people, the correlation between scores on this variable and scores on some other variable (e.g., prejudice toward outgroup members).

YOUR SCORE: _______________