ABSTRACT
The importance someone attributes to individual liberty (or so we see in Chapters 2 and 3) cannot be explained by either labor market position or occupational self-direction. In reality i t is cultural capital that is decisive: a high educational level and ample interest i n art and culture lead to an emphasis on individual liberty. However, this conclusion, based on an analysis of the causes of authoritarianism, is not unequivocally i n keeping w i t h the third theory mentioned i n Chapter 1. According to American political scientist Ronald Inglehart, an emphasis on individual liberty and self-expression, which he refers to as a postmaterialist value orientation, can definitely be explained by one's economic position. He does not feel, however, that an individual's present economic position is important, and i n this sense his theory is i n keeping w i t h the conclusion drawn i n the pre vious chapters. Instead he feels the economic conditions an individual grew up in are decisive.
