Authoritarianism-Rebellion Scale – A-R Scale
Measures individual differences in authoritarianism versus rebellion using a balanced scale design.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Authoritarianism-Rebellion Scale – A-R Scale was developed by Paul M. Kohn (1972). It is designed to measure Authoritarianism and Rebellion. The scale is intended for use with General adult population.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 30 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Authoritarianism, Rebellion.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Authoritarianism | 1,3,4,7,10,14,15,16,17,20,21,24,25,28,29 | 15 |
| Rebellion | 2,5,6,8,9,11,12,13,18,19,22,23,26,27,30 | 15 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Disagree Strongly, 2 = Disagree Somewhat, 3 = Disagree Slightly, 4 = Agree Slightly, 5 = Agree Somewhat, 6 = Agree Strongly.
The scale includes 15 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 30 to 180. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Authoritarianism / High Rebellion: 30 – 79
- Moderate / Balanced: 80 – 130
- High Authoritarianism / Low Rebellion: 131 – 180
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified in source text.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.