dogmatism

dogmatism

n.

1. the tendency to act in a blindly certain, assertive, and authoritative manner in accordance with a strongly held set of beliefs.

2. a personality trait characterized by this tendency. The belief system of such an individual is strongly held and resistant to change. Nevertheless, it often contains elements that are isolated from one another and thus may contradict one another. See Rokeach Dogmatism Scale. [first proposed by U.S. psychologist Milton Rokeach (1918–1988)] —dogmatic adj.