ABSTRACT
I n his classic study Class and Conformity (1977 [1969]), American sociologist Melv in Kohn defends the thesis that authoritarianism definitely can be explained by class. Compared w i t h the middle class, he holds that the working class is characterized by authoritarian conservatism and an emphasis on conformity as a parental value, and that the middle class attaches greater importance to self-direction. Kohn attributes this differ ence to workers' relatively l imited occupational self-direction rather than their weak labor market position. This is part of what is referred to as the work situation in British class analysis (e.g., Lockwood 1989 [1958]; Goldthorpe 1980:39), distinguishing i t from the market situation central to Chapter 2.
