Explanations for Obedience

Question 1

whats a social hierarchy

Answer 1

a social group with an unequal power structure

Question 2

outline the legitimacy of authority explanation for obedience

Answer 2

• as we have grew up in social hierarchies we learn to one people higher up in the social hierarchy because they have legitimate authority

Question 3

outline the agency theory as an explanation for obedience

Answer 3

when people obey orders they shift from the autonomous state to an agentic state

Question 4

what is moral strain

Answer 4

• feeling the need to obey authority figure
• not wanting to be responsible for consequences

Question 5

whats the agentic state

Answer 5

feeling like you are an agent of the authority figure and whateevr you do wlll be their responsibility

Question 6

whats the autonomous state

Answer 6

feeling responsible for yourself and your actions

Question 7

outline the authoritative personality as an explanation for obedience

Answer 7

someone with an authoritarian personality is more likely to obey the authority figure

Question 8

how does someone with an authoritative personality act

Answer 8

• respects and obeys people higher up in the social hierarchy
• rude and disrespectful to people lower in the social hierarchy to them

Question 9

where does the authoritative personality root from

Answer 9

strict parents

Question 10

what are key characteristics of someone with an authoritative personality

Answer 10

strict
aggreivsie
rigid

Question 11

why is someone with an authoritarian personality so rude and hostile towards people lower in the social hierarchy

Answer 11

• they have built up anger and frustration from the feelings towards their authority figures but have to suppress them
• they believe in social hierarchy and believe that they should treat people lower than them in the horrible ways that the people above them, treat them

Question 12

what does the f stand for in f scale

Answer 12

fascism

Question 13

how can the authoritarian personality be tested

Answer 13

with a personality questionnaire called the f-scale

Question 14

what did Adorno find with the f-scale questionnaire that supports the authoritarian personality as an explanation for obedience

Answer 14

nazi german officers ranked really high on the tests

Question 15

whats a limitation of Adorno’s authoritarian personality theory

Answer 15

not everyone who obeys orders has an authoritarian personality

Question 16

what are the situational explanations for obedience

Answer 16

legitimacy of authority
agentic state theory

Question 17

what is the dispositional explanation of obedience

Answer 17

authoritative personality