title: The Authoritarian Dynamic (Cambridge Studies in Public Opinion and Political Psychology)
author:  Karen Stenner 
description: 'Academic readers in political science, psychology and sociology should not miss the book. They will be richly rewarded.' Political Studies Review
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  the authoritarian dynamic
  What are the root causes of intolerance? This book addresses that question
  by developing a universal theory of what determines intolerance of differ-
  ence in general, which includes racism, political intolerance (e.g., restriction
  of free speech), moral intolerance (e.g., homophobia, supporting censorship
  and school prayer), and punitiveness. It demonstrates that all of these seem-
  ingly disparate attitudes are principally caused by just two factors: individu-
  als’ innate psychological predispositions to intolerance (“authoritarianism”)
  interacting with changing conditions of societal threat. The threatening
  conditions – particularly resonant in the present political climate – that acti-
  vate authoritarian attitudes include, most critically, great dissension in public
  opinion and general loss of conﬁdence in political leaders. Using purpose-
  built experimental manipulations, cross-national survey data, and in-depth
  personal 