Achievement Motivation and Authoritarianism in Manila and Some Anglo-Saxon Cities

Summary

Previous random cluster samples of the cities of Sydney, London, Glasgow, Los Angeles, and Johannesburg have suggested that the inhabitants do not differ on average levels of authoritarian personality or authoritarian attitudes but do differ on achievement motivation. Californians and South Africans were more motivated than the others. All studies so far have also shown a strong relationship between authoritarian personality and achievement motivation. The present study is based on a random cluster sample (N = 100) of Greater Manila in the Philippines and uses the same scales as in the previous studies. The Filipinos were found to have the lowest mean score yet recorded on authoritarian personality and the second highest mean score on achievement motivation. The measure of authoritarian attitudes (the F scale) showed zero reliability and hence could not be interpreted. The results give better support to a model of deprivation causing increased drive than to McClelland's theory. Also, even in the Philippines, achievement motivation was one of the driving forces behind authoritarian behavior.