obedience: authoritarian personality Flashcards
what sample did adorno use in his research on authoritarian personality?
2000 college students from america
state the 3 research methods
- case studies
- psychometric testing (F scale questionnaire)
- clinical interviews
what does the F stand for in F scale?
fascism
what type of scale was used in Adorno’s questionnaires?
5 point likert scale
What did a high score on the F-scale represent?
high authoritarianism
Give 3 examples of the statements that would appear on the F-scale.
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
List 3 characteristics that would be associated with authoritarianism.
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
What conditions did Adorno believe that authoritarianism developed under?
- Having parents who demanded absolute obedience
- This suppressed the ability to express their hostility towards them for fear of punishment
- Their hostility gets displaced towards minority groups due to seeing them as safer targets.
What is the process of an individual displacing their anger towards minority groups called?
scapegoating
Define ‘reaction formation’.
It is a defence mechanism someone uses when they feel something however outwardly show the opposite.
How does reaction formation relate to an authoritarian personality?
If someone has an authoritarian personality they may outwardly idolises their parents whilst inwardly fearing and loathing them.
strength PEE
- supporting evidence
a strength is supporting evidence from Adorno’s study. for example, He found that those who scored highly on the F-scale shared similar traits. therefore, this supports the idea of an authoritarian personality.
additionally, Elms found that the obedient group in Milgram’s study were less close to their fathers during childhood. therefore, this supports the theory that an authoritarian personality is a result of childhood
weakness PEE
- criticism of Adorno’s study
a weakness of Adorno’s study is that it lacks reliability. this is because the information on ppts’ childhood was drawn from their own recollections (retrospective data). therefore, the authenticity of the results cannot be certain as people’s memories can be inconsistent so harder to compare.
additionally, there is low validity as the F scale questionnaire was self report data. therefore, people are likely to give answers they deem socially desirable which would not be an accurate reflection of their true personality
weakness PEE
- criticism
a weakness is that it could be reductionist. this is because it does not explain prejudice about only certain groups. therefore, this might be an incomplete, oversimplified explanation of behaviour.
