F-scale

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For F-scale as the Fujita scale of tornado intensity, see Fujita scale.

The F-scale is a personality test (psychometric assessment) that attempts to quantify authoritarian tendencies. The F-scale was designed on the basis of Theodor Adorno's theory of authoritarian personality. The "F" stands for "fascism."

The test is designed to measure several variables, including conventionalism, authoritarian submission, authoritarian aggression, anti-intraception, superstition and stereotype, power and "toughness," destructiveness and cynicism, projectivity, and sex.

Among the criticisms of the F-scale is its sensitivity to respondents with acquiescent response styles. A number of related scales such as the Wilson-Patterson Conservatism Scale, P-scale and the balanced F-scale have been created in an attempt to fix the shortcomings of the F-scale.

Robert Altemeyer's Right Wing Authoritarianism Scale revised and refined the work of the F-Scale, and is today the most influential measurement of authoritarianism.^{[citation needed]}