Authortarian Personality

Question 1

What are some characteristics of authoritarian personality?

Answer 1

• Preoccupied with power
• Submissibe to authority figures
• Hostile to those who they feel are of lower status
• Inflexible in beliefs and values
• Rugid and rule following

Question 2

Where do authoritarian personalise come from?

Answer 2

A harsh, disciplined parental upbring which means they’re more likely to obey authority figure

Question 3

What did Elms and Milgram want to investigate?

Answer 3

If those who obeyed Milgram’s electric shock experiment did so because of personality or situational factors

Question 4

What participants did they use?

Answer 4

• 20 obedient participants who went to 450v
• 20 deviant participants who refused to continue at some point

Question 5

What was Elms and Milgram’s procedure?

Answer 5

Participants completed MMPI scale and California F scale, also asked range of questions about their relationship with their parents during childhood and their attitudes towards the learner and experimenter during Milgram’s original procedure

Question 6

What did Elms and Milgram find?

Answer 6

Little difference in scores from MMPI scale, however high levels of authoritarianism were found among obedient pps compared to deviant pps. Those who rated obedient reported being less close to their fathers during childhood

Question 7

What was Elms and Milgram’s conclusion?

Answer 7

Obedient participants had more authoritarian personalities

Question 8

What are 3 evaluation points?

Answer 8

• Situational factors may have greater influence
• Difficult to establish cause/effect
• Explanation cannot account for obedience