dispositional factors of obedience Flashcards
what is the difference between situational factors and dispositional factors
dispositional = explanations for behaviours due to the individuals personality not external factors
situational= explanations for behaviours due to the external environment
what is the dispositional factor affecting obedience
the authoritarian personality
define the authoritarian personality
a distinct personality pattern characterised by strict adherence to conventional rules and a belief in absolute obedience or submission to authority
outline the procedure of research which explored the authoritarian personality
ELMS AND MILGRAM
1) a follow up study using participants who had taken part in mailgrams study 2 months prior
2) they selected 20 obedient pps and 20 disobedient pps
3) each pps completed a MMPI scale and the F scale
4) pps were asked a series of open ended questions including about relationships with parents during childhood and their attitude towards the experimenter and learner
outline the findings of elms and milgrams study
1) they found little difference between the MMPI scale among pps
2) higher levels of authoritarian personalities among obedient pps compared to disobedient
3) obedient pps had reported being less close with their fathers and described them using more negative terms
4) obedient pps were on the higher traits of authoritarian
what are some characteristics of the authoritarian personality according to Adorno
1) rigid thinkers
2) see the world as black and white
3) raised by strict authoritarian parents
4) strict adherence to social rules and hierarchies- conscious of their own and others’ status
5) fixed stereotypes about other groups
what is the F-scale
developed to measure authoritarian traits or tendencies
- used by Adorno to measure authoritarian personalities
- contains statements such as obedience and respect for authority is the most important virtue in children
- agreeing with such statements was indicative of an authoritarian personality
what are the characteristics of an individual who is right winged authoritarian
1) conventionalism- adheres to conventional norms and values
2) authoritarian aggression- aggressive feelings to individuals who don’t follow these norms
3) authoritarian submission- uncritical submission to legitimate authority figures
evaluate the authoritarian personality
1) one limitation is that there may be individual differences that link to the development of the authoritarian personality- for example, research has found less-educated individuals are more likely to display authoritarian personality traits than more educated individuals. If this is correct then it can be concluded that it is not authoritarian personality characteristics that lead to obedience but instead education levels that undermine the authoritarian personality explanation
2) one strength si that there is a link between authoritarian personality and obedience- Elms and Milgram interviewed fully obedient pps from milgrams study, all of who scored highly on the F-scale. However these results are correlational and are therefore difficult to draw meaningful conclusions about cause and effect, there is also a range of situational factors, such as location or proximity which may contribute to obedience, so it is hard to full conclude that the authoritarian personality causes obedience alone
3) there have been links to individuals who identify on a certain side of the political spectrum and their likelihood of obedience. people who define themselves on the right-wing of politics are more likely to obey than individuals who identify on the left-wing. This has been supported by a variation in Milgram’s study using a fake game show where individuals had to deliver fake electric shocks to others. Later interviews found individuals who identified on the left-wing gave lower shocks- suggesting a situational context as it does not exclude the possibility for individual differences
