Authoritarian Personality

Question 1

what are dispositional explanations of behaviour?

2

Answer 1

explanations that emphasise behaviour being caused by an individual’s own personal characteristics rather than situational influences within the environment

an example of a dispositional explanation of obedience is the authoritarian personality

Question 2

outline the authoritarian personality

7

Answer 2

proposed by Adorno (1951) to provide an explanation as to why some people are more likely to obey than others

authoritarian personality = a distinct personality pattern characterised by strict adherence to conventional values and a belief in absolute obedience or submission to authority

essentially a collection of traits that makes an individual more likely to obey

used the F Scale to measure the different components that make up the AP

the F Scale contains statements that if answered in a certain way, indicate an authoritarian personality

people with this personality are….
• rigid thinkers with fixed/conventional ideas
• obey authority
• see the world as black and white
• enforce strict adherence to social rules and hierarchies

these traits originate in childhood — Adorno found that those scoring high on the F scale tended to have parents with an authoritarian parenting style, which leads them to believe this is the norm and acquire the same characteristics

Question 3

what is right wing authoritarianism?

6

Answer 3

Altemeyer refined the concept of the AP by identifying a cluster of personality variables that are associated with a right wing attitude to life, including….

• conventionalism = adherence to conventional norms and values
• authoritarian submission = uncritical submission to legitimate authorities
• authoritarian aggression = anger towards those who violate these norms

all of these characteristics predispose people to obedience

Altemeyer tested the relationship between RWA and obedience — participants were ordered to give themselves increasing levels of shock when they made mistakes on a learning task, the vast majority did as they were told without question

Question 4

x2 authoritarian personality evaluation points

Answer 4

questionnaires

elms and milgram support

Question 5

EVALUATION
questionnaires

5

Answer 5

a limitation of the AP as an explanation of obedience is that the questionnaires used to identify the AP may give rise to social desirability

people may not answer truthfully in order to appear in a certain light

this negatively impacts the internal validity of the results, thus decreasing the validity of the theory as a whole

furthermore, the questionnaires used closed questions which do not produce detailed answers and therefore do not explain why people feel that way, it only indicates that they do which is limited

therefore, the AP theory may be limited in its ability to accurately explain obedience and should be viewed with caution when doing so

Question 6

EVALUATION
elms and milgram

7

Answer 6

a study which supports the authoritarian personality is Elms and Milgram (1966)

they conducted a follow up study using the same participants that took part in Milgram’s previous experiment on obedience

they selected 20 obedient participants who had given the maximum shocks of 450 volts and 20 defiant participants who at some point had refused to continue

each participant completed an MMPI scale and the F Scale — they were also asked about their childhood and attitudes towards the experimenter in the study

they found higher levels of authoritarianism among participants classified as obedient

for example, obedient participants were much more likely to have admired and respected the experimenter

this supports the theory because clear personality differences were found between the groups and the more obedient participants had higher levels of authoritarianism — suggesting that those with the AP are more likely to obey, which effectively links the AP and a predisposition to obedience

Question 7

EVALUATION
elms and milgram (make it a double)

4

Answer 7

however, the study of Elms and Milgram may not be able to fully support the AP as a theory of obedience

participants were asked about their upbringing and many obedient participants stated they had a very good relationship with their family rather than growing up in a strict household

this challenges the idea that the upbringing of people with an AP would be strict and authoritarian, often accompanied with physical punishment

suggests that other factors other than the AP may influence obedience — the AP may therefore not provide the most accurate explanation of obedience, which implies that it may not be able to explain all obedience