Obedience 1.1.3+.6 Indv Diffs- Authoritarian Personality Theory(Adorno 1954)

Question 1

Who proposed theory?

Answer 1

Adorno (1950) (published study 1954)

Question 2

What conditions did Adorno believe that authoritarianism developed under?

Answer 2

1. Harsh upbringing; lack of love, extreme punishments
2. 2 paths
   a) Fear parents
   b) Resent parents
3. Results
   a) Excessively obedient to authority figures
   b) Authoritarian personality!! Displace their hatred for parents onto targets with less authority than them

Question 3

What is the process of an individual displacing their anger towards minority groups called?

Answer 3

Scapegoating

Question 4

Define ‘reaction formation’.

Answer 4

It is a defence mechanism someone uses when they feel something however outwardly show the opposite.

Question 5

How does reaction formation relate to an authoritarian personality?

Answer 5

If someone has an authoritarian personality they may outwardly idolises their parents whilst inwardly fearing and loathing them.

Question 6

Give two examples of AP
(hint- right wing auth, social dom orientation)

Answer 6

1.RWA (Right Wing Authoritarianism)
> Prejudiced attitudes towards marignalised groups eg POC, women, LGBT
> Doesn’t originate from parents, but social learning
If children socialised to believe world = dangerous, RWA may result

2.(SDO) Social Dominance Orientation
> Extent to which individuals embrace ideologies that maintain hierarchies in society, ppl w this want their own group to dominate over others
> Low SDO= those who reject preservation of social hierarchy
High SDO= those who embrace preservation of social hierarchy eg dismissive of inclusive policies, engage in acts that favour dominant groups

Question 7

Study- Sample?

Answer 7

2000 college students America

Question 8

Study- 3 research methods?

Answer 8

1. Case studies eg Nazis
2. Psychometric testing eg F-scale questionnaire !!!!
   > Fascism scale, measured authoritarianism
   >Questionnaires = 5 point scale
3. Clinical interviews

Question 9

Study- What did Adorno use to measure authoritarianism?

Answer 9

Questionnaire called ‘F-scale/Fascism scale’
> High score= high authoritarianism

Question 10

Study- what type of scale did Adorno use in the questionnaires?

Answer 10

5 point Likert scale

Question 11

Give 3 examples of the statements that would appear on the F-scale.

Answer 11

1) Obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues children should learn
2) Sex crimes deserve more that imprisonment (e.g. public whipping or worse)
3) Human nature being what it is, there will always be war and conflict

Question 12

List 3 characteristics that would be associated with authoritarianism.

Answer 12

1) Hostility towards anyone they see as different to them and their in-groups and dealing with those who disobey with aggression
2) Submissive to authority figures with belief others should do the same
3) Obsession with ranks and status

Question 13

EACH-Evidence

Answer 13

P - Adorno (1950) supports
E - He found that those who scored highly on the F-scale shared similar traits
E - And so supports the idea of an authoritarian personality, 5 point likert scale is objective measures as its closed q’s.
C/A- Self-report data, the pps may have lied about their personal opinions on authoritarianism on the F-scale due to social desirability bias, unrepresentative of those who are more authoritarian/ obedient personalities.
P - Elms (1998) supports
E - He interviewed 2 groups of ppts in Milgram’s study (20 defiant/20 obedient) and found that the obedient group were less close to their fathers during childhood
E - Supports auth personality theory in terms of the development process whereby those w r obedient either fear/ resent their parents which can lead to submission to authority and obsession over obedience

Question 14

EACH-A

Answer 14

P - No
E - Whilst it may offer some explanation for the events of WW2, it isn’t an accurate explanation for a whole nation
E - Therefore, it is extremely unlikely that a whole nation possesses an authoritarian personality

Question 15

EACH-Criticisms

Answer 15

P- Deterministic
E- Adorno states that authoritarian personality disorder develops due to a resentment towards our caregivers due to difficult upbringings
E- W, people can deal w difficult upbringing and carer resentment but not develop authoritarian personality/ use scapegoats to exert their power, theory ignores the societal value of free will whereby people are free to make their own decision and aren’t all governed by one form of authority

Question 16

EACH-How?

Answer 16

P - Adorno (1950) has low reliability
E - The information on ppts’ childhood was drawn from their own recollections (retrospective data)
E - And so the authenticity of the results cannot be certain as people’s memories can be inconsistent so harder to compare
P - Adorno (1950) has low validity
E - Used self-report data in F-scale questionnaires
E - And so people are likely to give answers they deem socially desirable which would not be an accurate reflection of their true personality