F-Scale test

Explore Your Authoritarian Tendencies

The F-Scale test evaluates individual attitudes and behaviors regarding authority, traditionalism, religious concepts, power, and other specific traits. Based on research by social scientists like Theodor W. Adorno, this test reveals your psychological tendencies and social attitudes by analyzing your responses to these characteristics.

Do you blindly follow authority? Do you lack self-reflection? Do you tend to disrupt social order? The F-Scale test will give you answers! Simply respond with your most honest thoughts and choose answers based on your actual situation. Take the test now!

What is the F-Scale Test？

The F-Scale Test is a psychological assessment tool that measures an individual’s attitudes toward authority, traditionalism, religion, power, and other specific traits. The F stands for fascism. Developed by German psychologist Theodor W. Adorno and colleagues, the test examines responses to reveal psychological tendencies and social attitudes.

The test consists of 56 questions covering 10 personality traits.

How do I interpret my F-Scale Test results?

After completing the test, your answers will be analyzed to show percentages for each trait, indicating your tendencies in areas like traditionalism, submission to authority, and attitudes toward sexuality, religion, and morality. You’ll receive detailed interpretations of each characteristic.

Remember that test results don’t define your entire personality but rather offer insight into your values and behavioral tendencies. It’s best to interpret results objectively, considering your personal experiences and background.

Can I use the F-Scale Test to determine my political leanings?

While the test can provide information about your attitudes toward authority, traditionalism, and other traits, it shouldn’t be used alone to determine political orientation. Political views are shaped by many factors, including culture, education, and personal experience. Consider the test results as just one reference point rather than a definitive measure.

Detailed Trait Interpretations

Traditionalism

Traditionalism is a pattern where individuals tend to uphold and protect established social orders, cultural traditions, and moral norms. From a social psychology perspective, this tendency often stems from deep-seated insecurity and fear of uncertainty, leading individuals to view traditional value systems as a crucial source of security. Cognitively, those high in traditionalism tend to think in binary terms, simply dividing social phenomena into "traditional" versus "non-traditional" categories. They emphasize the importance of social hierarchy, champion family ethics and religious beliefs as traditional values, and view these as fundamental safeguards of social stability. When facing social change, they display clear defensive reactions, tending to view any challenge to traditional order as a threat to society as a whole.

Typical characteristics:

Following traditional behavioral norms and lifestyle habits
Rejecting emerging lifestyles and cultural forms
Using rigid moral standards to judge social phenomena
Difficulty accepting value pluralism and relativity
Emphasizing discipline, obedience, and traditional virtues
Maintaining distance or hostility toward groups with different values

Authoritarian Submission

Authoritarian submission reflects an individual’s tendency toward excessive compliance and blind worship of authority. From a psychodynamic perspective, this submissive tendency often originates from personality traits formed during early family education, with its core being the achievement of psychological security through identification with authority. At the cognitive level, high authority submitters display significant mental rigidity, viewing authority as absolutely correct and unquestionable. This cognitive pattern leads them to lose independent judgment when facing authority, tending to unconditionally accept authoritative views and decisions. They not only demonstrate behavioral compliance but also develop deep psychological dependence on authority, viewing submission as a virtue and regarding questioning and criticism as offenses against authority.

Typical characteristics:

Tendency to unconditionally execute even obviously unreasonable demands
Actively seeking and attaching to authority figures
Anxiety and unease in situations lacking clear directives
Lack of personal opinions, avoiding expression of individual views
Poor decision-making quality, exhibiting groupthink

Authoritarian Aggression

Authoritarian aggression represents hostile and punitive responses toward those who violate traditional norms. From a sociological perspective, this aggression often serves as an extension of social control mechanisms, reflecting a coercive tendency to maintain existing order. Individuals with high authoritarian aggression typically divide society into "us" and "them," displaying strong rejection and punitive desires toward groups categorized as outsiders. This aggression manifests not only at the behavioral level but more deeply as a value judgment, viewing the punishment of "deviants" as necessary for maintaining social order. They tend to support harsh penal policies, endorse the use of violence to maintain social norms, and rationalize these punitive responses as manifestations of "justice."

Typical characteristics:

Lack of tolerance, easily displaying anger and hatred
Using simplified moral judgment standards
Impulse to strike out against "outsiders"
Selective nature of aggressive tendencies

Religion and Ethics

The religion and ethics dimension reflects an absolutist attitude toward religious beliefs and moral principles. From a religious sociology perspective, this tendency is not merely a matter of faith but a complex psychological and social phenomenon. High scorers typically view religious doctrines and moral norms as universal absolute truths, refusing to acknowledge the contextual dependence and cultural relativity of moral judgments. This mindset leads them to favor dogmatic solutions when facing moral dilemmas, rather than engaging in rational analysis based on specific circumstances. They often reduce moral issues to black-and-white dichotomies, a simplification that extends beyond moral judgments to their overall perception of social phenomena.

Typical characteristics:

Absolute obedience to religious authority
Intolerance of behaviors that deviate from traditional moral views
Lack of independent ethical thinking
Closed and rigid cognitive system

Superstition and Stereotypy

Superstition and stereotypy represent simplified and formulaic patterns of understanding complex reality. From a cognitive psychology perspective, these thinking patterns stem from psychological defense mechanisms that individuals employ when dealing with uncertainty and complexity. High scorers typically display strong cognitive closure, readily accepting unverified superstitious beliefs and oversimplified causal explanations. When confronting social phenomena, they habitually rely on ready-made stereotypes for judgment rather than engaging in deeper analysis and reflection. This cognitive pattern not only affects their understanding of the world but also directly influences their social behavior and interpersonal interaction styles.

Typical characteristics:

Easy acceptance of superstitious beliefs
Low tolerance for uncertainty
Over-reliance on group stereotypes
Lack of critical thinking
Attributing complex social phenomena to simple cause-and-effect relationships

Power and Toughness

Power and toughness traits reflect specific cognitive and emotional projections regarding power relationships. From a political psychology perspective, these traits demonstrate a strong identification with social hierarchies and an unhealthy fascination with power. High scorers generally advocate for a social order based on strength, endorsing authoritarian politics and force-based solutions. In their cognitive framework, social relationships are simplified into a binary opposition of dominance and submission, where the strong’s right to dominate the weak is seen as natural. This mindset not only influences their views on political and social issues but also profoundly shapes their interpersonal interaction patterns. They typically show intense interest in symbols of power and closely link personal worth with power status.

Typical characteristics:

Endorsement of authoritarian politics
Displaying obvious hierarchical consciousness in interpersonal interactions
Using coercive methods to solve problems
Emphasizing rigid hierarchical management systems
Favoring force over negotiation and compromise
Contempt for the weak
Excessive focus on dominance-submission relationships

Anti-intraception

Anti-intraception represents a systematic rejection of subjective experiences and inner psychological activities. From a psychoanalytic perspective, this trait reflects a deep-seated fear of self-exploration and defense against emotional vulnerability. High scorers typically show resistance to abstract thinking and deep reflection, tending to avoid discussions about personal emotions and psychological motivations. They champion pragmatism and superficial thinking patterns, viewing attention to the inner psychological world as useless or even harmful. This trait not only affects personal psychological development but can also lead to limitations in emotional intelligence and superficial interpersonal relationships.

Typical characteristics:

Rejection of artistic and imaginative activities
Resistance to psychological counseling and self-reflection
Avoidance of exploring psychological aspects of issues
Difficulty understanding or empathizing with others' emotional experiences
Struggle to identify and handle personal psychological stress
Preference for pragmatism and surface-level thinking

Destructiveness and Cynicism

Destructiveness and cynicism represent a fundamental distrust and rejection of human nature and social order. From a social philosophy perspective, this trait reflects a pathological response to the complexities of modern society. High scorers typically hold a deeply pessimistic view of human nature, believing that humans are inherently selfish and evil, thus requiring forceful measures to maintain social order. This worldview leads them to favor destructive solutions when facing social issues, viewing violence as a legitimate means of maintaining order. They maintain a universal skepticism toward social institutions and interpersonal relationships - a skepticism that manifests not only in their thinking but also translates into destructive behavioral tendencies.

Typical characteristics:

Endorsing violence as a means of problem-solving
Displaying distrust and defensiveness in interpersonal interactions
Negative engagement in social activities
Fundamental distrust in human nature
Lack of empathy and humanitarian concern

Projectivity

Projective traits reflect an individual’s tendency to attribute their inner impulses and negative emotions to the external world. From a psychoanalytic perspective, this projection mechanism serves as a primitive psychological defense against internal anxiety and conflict. High scorers tend to project their own aggressive impulses and immoral tendencies onto the outside world, perceiving it as full of threats and malicious intent. This cognitive bias leads them to develop conspiratorial thinking patterns and maintain high levels of vigilance and suspicion toward their environment. They often attribute social problems to the conspiracies of specific groups while overlooking the structural and complex nature of these issues. This projective thinking not only affects their perception of reality but also profoundly impacts their social behavior and interpersonal relationships.

Typical characteristics:

Excessive vigilance and defensive mindset
Over-interpretation of threatening meanings in others' behavior
Belief that the outside world is full of threats
Difficulty accepting new things
Susceptibility to conspiratorial thinking

Sex

Sexual preoccupation and repression reflect unique attitudes and extreme reactions to sexual topics. From a psychological perspective, this trait reveals deep internal conflicts and moral anxiety. High scorers typically display strong ambivalence toward sex-related topics: they show excessive interest and preoccupation with sex while simultaneously expressing extreme moral condemnation and suppressive tendencies. This contradiction often stems from the conflict between strict traditional moral education and natural impulses, leading individuals to develop strong psychological defense mechanisms when confronting sexual issues. They tend to apply harsh moral standards when judging others' sexual behavior and strongly resist any form of sexual openness or freedom.

Typical characteristics:

Ambivalent attitudes toward sexual topics
Excessive emphasis on sexual morality
Prejudice against sexual minorities
Associating sexuality with moral degradation

F-Scale test

Explore Your Authoritarian Tendencies

What is the F-Scale Test？

How do I interpret my F-Scale Test results?

Can I use the F-Scale Test to determine my political leanings?

Detailed Trait Interpretations

Traditionalism

Authoritarian Submission

Authoritarian Aggression

Religion and Ethics

Superstition and Stereotypy

Power and Toughness

Anti-intraception

Destructiveness and Cynicism

Projectivity

Sex

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