authoritarian personality

Question 1

what is a dispositional explanation

Answer 1

any explanation of behavior that highlights the importance of the personality, often contrasted with situational explanations

Question 2

definition of authoritarian personality

Answer 2

a type of personality that was especially susceptible to obeying people in authority (ADORNO) submissive to people of higher status and dismissive of inferiors

Question 3

adornos participants

Answer 3

2000 white middle class americans

Question 4

items on the fascism scale

Answer 4

‘obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues children should learn’

Question 5

scored high on F-scale correlated with…

Answer 5

identifying with ‘strong’ people and having contempt for the weak. high consciousness of own and other’s status, excessive respect for those with higher status

Question 6

cognitive style of authoritarian people

Answer 6

fixed and distinctive stereotypes, strong correlation between authoritarianism and prejudice

Question 7

characteristics

Answer 7

• especially obedient to authority
• contempt for perceived inferiority
• highly conventional attitudes towards race, sex and gender
• need for strong and powerful leaders to enforce traditional values like love for country and religion
• extremely inflexible outlook

Question 8

ORIGIN OF THE PERSONALITY

Answer 8

formed in childhood as a result of harsh parenting - strict discipline, impossible standards, severe criticism,, conditional love = create resentment and hostility that is displaced onto others due to inability to express to parents

Question 9

MILGRAM’S INTERVIEWS

Answer 9

with a scale of fully obedient ppts that scored high on the F-scale - only correlation, not that personality CAUSES obedience. Could be a third factor.

Question 10

EXPLAINS INDIVIDUALS

Answer 10

millions of people displayed obedient and racist behavior in pre-war Germany, but they couldn’t have all had authoritarian personalities. SOCIAL IDENTITY is a much more likely explanation

Question 11

POLITICAL BIAS OF THE F SCALE

Answer 11

measures the tendency towards an extreme form of right-wing ideology, ignores left-wing authoritarianism (Bolshevik Russia, maos china) doesn’t account for across the political spectrum

Question 12

METHODOLOGY OF THE F SCALE

Answer 12

every item is worded in the same direction and therefore can get a high score by ticking all of the same boxes, ACQUIESCENCE BIAS

Question 13

INTERVIEWS ON CHILDHOOD

Answer 13

adorno and collegues did the interviews and they knew the test scores and the hypothesis of the study

Question 14

CORRELATION NOT CAUSATION

Answer 14

correlation between variables related to authoritarian personality, but cant say the AP causes it