California F Scale – Form 60
Measures authoritarian personality traits, including conventionalism, submission, aggression, and superstition.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The California F Scale – Form 60 was developed by Theodor W. Adorno, Else Frenkel-Brunswik, Daniel Levinson, Nevitt Sanford (1947). It is designed to measure Authoritarian Personality. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 33 items organized into 9 factors/subscales: Conventionalism, Authoritarian Submission, Authoritarian Aggression, Anti-intraception, Superstition and Stereotypy, Power and Toughness, Destructiveness and Cynicism, Projectivity, Sex.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Conventionalism | 1,2,3 | 3 |
| Authoritarian Submission | 1,4,5,6,7,8,9 | 7 |
| Authoritarian Aggression | 2,3,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 | 9 |
| Anti-intraception | 3,17,18,19 | 4 |
| Superstition and Stereotypy | 4,5,18,20,21,22,23,24,25 | 9 |
| Power and Toughness | 8,10,11,22,26,27,28 | 7 |
| Destructiveness and Cynicism | 29,30,31 | 3 |
| Projectivity | 19,24,28,32,33 | 5 |
| Sex | 13,16,33 | 3 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: -3 = Strong disagreement, -2 = Moderate disagreement, -1 = Slight disagreement, 1 = Slight agreement, 2 = Moderate agreement, 3 = Strong agreement.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 33 to 198. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Authoritarianism: 33 – 88
- Moderate Authoritarianism: 89 – 142
- High Authoritarianism: 143 – 198
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.