Authoritarian personality Flashcards
What type of obedience explanation is the authoritarian personality?
Dispositional explanation
What is the authoritarian personality?
A distinct personality pattern characterised by strict adherence to conventional values + a belief in absolute submission to authority
What is an authoritarian personality typically the result of?
Harsh/strict/rigid parenting
What did Altemeyer propose?
Right-wing authoritarianism
What are the 3 characteristics of RWA?
Conventionalism, authoritarian aggression + authoritarian submission
What is conventionalism?
Adherence to conventional norms and values
What is authoritarian aggression?
Aggressive feelings towards people who violate conventional norms + values
What is authoritarian submission?
Uncritical submission to legitimate authority
How is the authoritarian personality type measured?
Using the F-scale
What does the F-scale stand for?
Fascism scale
Who created the F-scale?
Adorno
Give an example of statements in the F scale.
Rules are there for people to follow
Who conducted research into the authoritarian personality?
Elms and Milgram
Who were Elms + Milgram’s participants?
Participants from one of Milgram’s past experiments
What were the 2 groups in Elms + Milgram’s study?
Obedient (those who went to 450v) and disobedient (those who didn’t go to 450v)
What 2 things were used to measure authoritarian levels in Elms + Milgram’s participants?
The F-scale and the MMPI
In Elms and Milgram’s study, what were the participants questioned on?
Their parental relationships
What was found with the MMPIs of Elms and Milgram’s participants?
There was little difference between defiant and obedient participants
Which of Elms and Milgram’s groups scored more authoritarian on the F-scale?
The obedient group
What did Elms and Milgram find about the parental relationships of the obedient participants?
Worse relationships with their fathers
What are the 4 AO3 points of the authoritarian personality?
1) Overlooks other factors
2) Education may determine authoritarianism
3) Lacks ecological validity
4) Methodological issues
What factors does the authoritarian personality explanation of obedience overlook?
Situational factors - proximity, location + uniform
In Milgram’s proximity variation, what did obedience drop to?
44%
What type of relationship is there between obedience and authoritarianism?
Positive correlation
What can we not establish between obedience and auhtoritarianism?
A cause + effect relationship
Are less educated people likely to be more or less authoritarian?
More authoritarian
What did Milgram find regarding education levels?
Less educated people are more likely to obey
Instead of authoritarianism, what may obedience be correlated with?
Education levels
What can’t the authoritarian personality explanation explain under any circumstances?
Why large groups of people obey
Give an example of a real life occurrence where a mass group of people obeyed.
The Germans obeying Hitler during WW2
What type of bias does the F-scale suffer from?
Acquiesce bias
What is acquiesce bias?
A phenomenon where individuals are likely to agree with something regardless of how they actually feel
Why may the F-scale suffer from acquiescence bias?
All statements are worded in the same direction
What bias might the F-scale be subject to?
Social desirability bias
Why is the F-scale politically bias?
It does not account for left wing authoritarianism
