D Explanations for Obedience - AO3

Question 1

Research support from Milgram and Elms (1966) for authoritarian personality ✅

Answer 1

Research support from Milgram and Elms shows that obedient participants scored high on the F-scale, believing that there is a link between obedience and an authoritarian personality. However, it’s impossible to establish a cause and effect relationship, as there may have been an extraneous variable involved.

Question 2

Limited explanation for an obedience majority (authoritarian personality) ❌

Answer 2

There is a limited explanation for obedient behaviour in the majority of a country’s population. In pre-war Germany, millions all displayed both racist and obedient behaviour. Even though participant variables must be an issue, it must be highly unlikely for everybody to possess an authoritarian personality.

Question 3

Political bias of the authoritarian personality❌

Answer 3

Political bias may also be a major limitation of an authoritarian personality. The F-scale measures the tendency towards extreme right-wing ideology. Christie and Jahoda (1954) argued that this is a politically biased interpretation of an authoritarian personality. They point out the similarities between left-wing extremism and how Adorno’s theory doesn’t cover the entire political system.