Obedience: Authoritarian personality Flashcards
What is meant by an authoritarian personality?
A distinct personality pattern characterised by strict adherence to conventional values and a belief in absolute obedience or submission to authority
Who proposed the authoritarian personality?
Adorno et al (1950)
Is authoritarian personality situational or dispositional?
Dispositional
What sample did Adorno use in his research?
2,000 college students from America
What 3 research methods were used?
- Case studies
- Psychometric testing
- Clinical interviews
What is the F-scale?
A questionnaire made to measure the different components of an authoritarian personality
What does the ‘F’ stand for in F-scale?
Fascism
What type of scale was used?
5 point Likert scale
What are some F-scale statement examples?
- Obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues children should learn
- A person who has bad manners, habits, and breeding can hardly expect to get along with decent people
- What this country needs most, more than laws and political programs, is a few courageous, tireless, devoted leaders in whom the people can put their faith
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
Under what conditions did Adorno believe that authoritarianism developed under?
- parents who demanded absolute obedience
- this suppressed the ability to express their hostility towards them for fear of punishment
- hostility gets displaced towards minority groups due to being safer targets
What is the process of an individual displacing their anger towards minority groups called?
Scapegoating
What is meant by ‘reaction formation’?
A defence mechanism someone uses when they feel something but outwardly show the opposite
How does ‘reaction formation’ relate to authoritarianism?
An individual with an authoritarian personality may outwardly idolise their parents while simultaneously inwardly fearing and loathing them
Strength of authoritarian personality
P - Has research support
E - Elms and Milgram (1966) used the F - scale with ppts from Milgram’s studies, testing 20 fully obedient ppts and 20 who weren’t
E - Found that obedient ppts scored higher on the F - scale which suggests that obedience is related to the personality characteristic of authoritarianism
