Implications of authoritarianism for young adulthood: Longitudinal analysis of college experiences and future goals

Longitudinal data were used to explore links between right-wing authoritari anism (RWA) and young adult development. Analyses demonstrated that 4 years of college were related to reductions in RWA and that high-RWA participant s who majored in the liberal arts had lower grade point averages. No grade effects were found for students in the professional schools. Explanations c entered on the difficulty that high-RWA students might have with the ambigu ous nature of liberal arts Knowledge (e.g., hermeneutics, conflicting theor ies and data). In terms of goals after graduation, men and women high on au thoritarianism had different expectations. Men scoring high on RWA focused on career goals, whereas high-RWA women experienced career confusion and ex pected marriage to entail increased responsibilities without personal rewar ds. Both genders high on RWA were also uninterested in exploring aspects of identity. Although focused on young adulthood, this study suggests that li nks exist between developmental theory in general and authoritarianism.