7) Dispositional Variables - Obedience

Question 1

Who concluded finding on the Authoritarian Personality

Answer 1

Adorno et al

Question 2

What is the Authoritarian personality

Answer 2

• Its a personality type which leads to higher levels of respect and obedience to authority

Question 3

Where does this personality originate from

Answer 3

• Childhood, through harsh parenting and is often characterised by conditional love

Question 4

What does this parenting style do in the long run

Answer 4

• Create resentment and hostility in child, but cannot express diretly agains parents, fear of reprisals
• So feeling displaced onto others who are weaker, scapegoating
• Psychodynamic explanation

Question 5

What is the F-scale

Answer 5

• Potential for fascism scale

Question 6

EV 1 - evidence that authoritarian are obedient

Answer 6

• Milgram interviewed 20 fully obedient ps from his study, scored significantly higher on the F-scale that comparison of disobeying Ps
• Obedient people may share many characteristics of p with and authoritarian personality

Question 7

EV 2 - Can’t explain whole countries behaviour

Answer 7

• In germany, millions displayed obedient behaviour but can’t all have same personality
• Unlikely majority of Germany had an authoritarian personality
• More likely, identification with nazi state
• Social identity theory may be a better explanation

Question 8

EV 3 - F-scale politically biased

Answer 8

Jahoda suggest f-scale measures tendency toward extremely right-wing ideology
- both right and left wing insist on complete obedience
- Adornos theory not comprehensive dispositional explanation as doesn’t explain obedience to left wing authoritarianism