A lot of people on the left seem to hold The Authoritarian Personality by Adorno et al. and The Mass Psychology of Fascism by Reich in very high regard.

These are very old books. The Adorno book has been criticised for methodological reasons. The Reich book is very rooted in Freudian psychoanalysis. Yet they still seem to be widely read and discussed.

I am not a psychologist. Can psychologists please tell me if these works are still considered to be useful and supported by the available evidence? I feel awfully skeptical when someone backs their point up by citing them and I want to know whether I should unclench my arse.

Thank you :)