ABSTRACT
Extreme right-wing attitudes are widespread in German society, but what causes them is a matter of debate. People's concerns about their material status are often cited as an explanation: those who are worse off or who fear a decline in their economic status are presumed to have a higher propensity for extreme right-wing slogans and demands. Social psychology and sociology have put forward a different explanation for the growth of extreme right-wing attitudes: namely, authoritarianism shapes the perception of crisis and conflicts in contacts with people perceived as belonging to other groups. This chapter undertakes an empirical investigation of social institutions: Do they contribute to the authoritarian dynamic? And is it possible to identify the relationship between these institutions and the familial reality? Society is unimaginable without organization, whether as institution or as process, and this applies not only to the modern period.
