. Effect of the authoritarian personality on obedience

Question 1

Background

Answer 1

• He wanted to explain how Nazi’s were able to gain such a following in Germany during WW2. He suggested that rather it being due to situational factors or charismatic leadership of Hitler, it was smth to do with personality types.

Question 2

Define authoritarian personality.

Answer 2

• More likely to obey those in authority and discriminate against those they saw as inferior

Question 3

How did Adorno test his theory?
What was the results?

Answer 3

• developing a questionnaire which was called the f-scale.
  He found that people who had an authoritarian personality:
• Tend to see the world in ‘black and white’ and offer blind obedience to those they see as being of a higher authority to themselves
• are very conformist
• prejudiced against those they saw as inferior

Question 4

Findings

Answer 4

• Adorno found that people who scored high on the F - scale has often been subjected to strict, rigid upbringing partially by their fathers who they were afraid of but saw them as authoritive figures.
• Milgram and elms found that significantly more participants scored higher on the F-scale compared to those who are defiant.
• offers evidence to Adorno’s theory

Question 5

What is Adorno’s theory?

Answer 5

• Authoritarian personality = more likely to obey authoritive figure