When I called Mr. Strouse, he emphasized that researchers’ psychologizing too often overlooks real suffering. Moreover, using the child-rearing questionnaire, African-Americans score as far more authoritarian than whites. The child-trait test, then, is a tool to identify white people who are anxious about their decline in status and power. “The term ‘authoritarian’ connotes a fringe perspective, and the perspective we’re describing is far from fringe,” Mr. Weiler said. “It’s central to American public opinion, especially on cultural issues like immigration and race.”

Source: New York Times December 15, 2018 19:30 UTC