Robert "Bob" Altemeyer is a retired Professor of Psychology at the University of Manitoba

University of Manitoba

The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...

.

He has written extensively on authoritarianism

Authoritarianism

Authoritarianism is a form of social organization characterized by submission to authority. It is usually opposed to individualism and democracy...

 and refined the theory into the concept (and measure) of Right Wing Authoritarianism

Right Wing Authoritarianism

Right-wing authoritarianism is a personality and ideological variable studied in political, social, and personality psychology. It is defined by three attitudinal and behavioral clusters which correlate together:...

. Altemeyer's work is extensively referenced in John W. Dean's 2006 book, Conservatives Without Conscience

Conservatives without Conscience

Conservatives Without Conscience is a book written by John Dean, who served as White House Counsel under U.S. President Richard Nixon and then helped to break the Watergate scandal with his testimony before the United States Senate. The book analyzes the evolution of the Republican Party, and the...

. At Dean's suggestion, he wrote an "everyperson" account of his findings, The Authoritarians, which is freely available online.

His son, Rob Altemeyer

Rob Altemeyer

Rob Altemeyer is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He is currently a member of the Manitoba legislature.Altemeyer was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was educated at the University of Manitoba where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and a Master's Degree in Natural...

, is an MLA

Member of the Legislative Assembly

A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....

 in the Manitoba Legislature.

Publications

• Right-Wing Authoritarianism, 1981 (ISBN 0-88755-124-6)
• Enemies of Freedom: Understanding Right-Wing Authoritarianism, 1988 (ISBN 978-1555420970)
• The Authoritarian Specter, 1997, which examines the Oklahoma City bombing
  Oklahoma City bombing
  The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
  
  of 1995 (ISBN 0-674-05305-2)
• Amazing Conversions: Why Some Turn to Faith and Others Abandon Religion, 1997 (ISBN 978-1573921473)
• Atheists: A Groundbreaking Study of America's Nonbelievers, 2006 (ISBN 978-1591024132).