Obedience: Authoritarian personality

Question 1

What is meant by an authoritarian personality?

Answer 1

A distinct personality pattern characterised by strict adherence to conventional values and a belief in absolute obedience or submission to authority

Question 2

Who proposed the authoritarian personality?

Answer 2

Adorno et al (1950)

Question 3

Is authoritarian personality situational or dispositional?

Answer 3

Dispositional

Question 4

What sample did Adorno use in his research?

Answer 4

2,000 college students from America

Question 5

What 3 research methods were used?

Answer 5

• Case studies
• Psychometric testing
• Clinical interviews

Question 6

What is the F-scale?

Answer 6

A questionnaire made to measure the different components of an authoritarian personality

Question 7

What does the ‘F’ stand for in F-scale?

Answer 7

Fascism

Question 8

What type of scale was used?

Answer 8

5 point Likert scale

Question 9

What are some F-scale statement examples?

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

List 3 characteristics that would be associated with authoritarianism

Answer 10

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 11

Under what conditions did Adorno believe that authoritarianism developed under?

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

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

Answer 12

Scapegoating

Question 13

What is meant by ‘reaction formation’?

Answer 13

A defence mechanism someone uses when they feel something but outwardly show the opposite

Question 14

How does ‘reaction formation’ relate to authoritarianism?

Answer 14

An individual with an authoritarian personality may outwardly idolise their parents while simultaneously inwardly fearing and loathing them

Question 15

What is a strength of the authoritarian personality as an explanation of obedience?

Elms and Milgram (1966) - PEE

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What is a strength of the authoritarian personality as an explanation of obedience?

Elms and Milgram (1966) - PEECA

Answer 16

P - Elms and Milgram (1966) has supporting evidence
E - Used the F-scale with ppts from Milgram’s original study testing 20 obedient and 20 disobedient ppts and found that obedient ppts scored higher on F-scale
E - Findings suggest that obedience is related to an authoritarian personality
IA - Elms found that the obedient group in Milgram’s study were less close to their fathers during childhood supporting the theory that an authoritarian personality is a result of childhood

Question 17

What is a weakness of authoritarian personality as an explanation of obedience?

Adorno study F-scale - PEEIA

Answer 17

P - Adorno’s study lacks reliability
E - Information on ppts’ childhood was drawn from their own recollections (retrospective data)
E - Authenticity of the results cannot be certain as people’s memories can be inconsistent so harder to compare
IA - Low validity as the F scale questionnaire was self report data so people are likely to give answers they deem socially desirable which would not be an accurate reflection of their true personality

Question 18

What is a weakness of authoritarian personality as an explanation of obedience?

Reductionist - PEE

Answer 18

P - Reductionist
E - It only explains obedience about certain groups
E - It is an incomplete, oversimplified explanation of behaviour
IA - Ignores situational factors