Dispositional Explanations for Obedience

Question 1

Dispositional Explanation

Answer 1

Internal personality factors influencing obedience. Adorno (1950) proposed the authoritarian personality as a key trait linked to obedience.

Question 2

The Authoritarian Personality

Answer 2

Measured using the F-scale (Likert-style questionnaire)
Example statement: “respect for authority and parents is ome of the most important values a child can learn.”
High F-scale = more likely to obey authority

Question 3

Key Characteristics of Authoritarian Personality

Answer 3

• strict submission to authority
• expect obedience from those percieved as lower in status
  -rigid thinking & stereotypes (sees everything as black and white)

Question 4

Psychodynamic Explanation

Answer 4

• Harsh parenting = child fears and idolises parents but represses resentment
• Scapegoating = displaces anger onto weaker individuals
• Reaction formation = Seen in political extremism

Question 5

Methodolgical Issues

Answer 5

Greenstein:
F-Scale is flawed due to acquiescence bias (people tend to agree with statements)
Findings lack validity and reliability

Question 6

Political Bias

Answer 6

(christie and jahoda)
F-Scale only measures far-right and fascist tendencies
Ignores left-wing authoritarianism (e.g Bolshevism)
Both political extremes emphasise strict obedience to authority.

Question 7

Lack of Ecological Validity

Answer 7

Cannot explain mass obedience (e.g, Nazi Germany)
Unlikely that all Germans had authoritarian personalities
Situational factors (economic struggles, propoganda, fear) were more influential