Obedience

Question 1

Agency

Answer 1

the responsibility we feel for our own actions

Question 2

Proximity

Answer 2

Proximity refers to how far away something is. When we are in close proximity to

Question 3

Authoritarian Personality

Answer 3

an obedient personality type which is characterized by a belief that authority figures should be obeyed

Question 4

evaluate authoritarian personality

Answer 4

Strength:

Limitation:

Limitation:

Question 5

Proximity

Answer 5

Proximity refers to how far away something is. When we are in close proximity to an authority figure it appears we are more likely to obey them.

Question 6

Cognitive Style

Answer 6

a feature of an authoritarian personality is a particular way of thinking, ‘black and white’. They prefer to believe in rigid stereotypes.

Question 7

evaluate authoritarian personality

Answer 7

Strength: It is a questionnaire, therefore we can collect large amounts of data quicker and cheaper, meaning there is wider range of information to offer about authoritarian personalities. Therefore there is more gives an explanation to their behavior
Limitation: it cannot explain all causes of obedience. This is because the millions of Nazi German Soldiers who were all prejudice and obedient in WW2, could not have all had the same exact upbringing and personality.
Limitation: Adorno’s F scale questionnaire has been criticized for being flawed, as it enabled a response bias and if people tended to answer ‘yes’ instead of no to questions they would end up with a higher authoritarian score, making them seem more prejudice and therefore obedient. This questions the validity of authoritarian personality as a factor affecting obedience due to poor evidence.

Question 8

Agentic Shift

Answer 8

The move from an autonomous state to an agentic state