Obedience - Dispositional Explanation

Question 1

Dispositional Explanatiom

Answer 1

Highlights importance of individuals personality

Often contrasted with situational explanations

Question 2

Authoritarian Personality (AP)

Answer 2

A personality type that Adorno argued was susceptible to obeying people in authority
=> are submissive to those of higher status and dismissive of inferiors

Question 3

AP and Obedience

Answer 3

• Believe we need strong and powerful leaders with traditional values like patriotism + and extremely submissive of authority => more likely to obey orders
• Also contempt for those of inferior status fuelled by inflexible outlook on world - no grey areas - right or wrong
• Blames outgroups for ills of society=> are convenient target for authoritarians

Question 4

Origins of the Authoritarian Personality

Answer 4

• Adorno et al believed AP formed in childhood from harsh parenting - PSYCHODYNAMIC EXPLANATION
• Strict discipline, expectation of absolute loyalty high standards and severe criticism - conditional love
• Creates resentment that they cant express out of fear => is displaced on perceived weak - scapegoats

Question 5

Adorno et al’s Research

Answer 5

P: >2000 middle class white Americans #= unconscious attitudes to other races using the F-scale to measure AP

F: Those with AP leaning (scored high on F-scale) had traits that are the basis of obedience

Also had cognitive style of black and white thinking
Fixed stereotypes about others => strong +ve link between AP and prejudice

Question 6

Research Support - AO3

Answer 6

STRENGHT - Milgram’s 20 obedient pps

P: Completed F-scale and scored significantly higher then 20 disobedient control group
F: Supports Adorno’s view that obedient people show similar characteristics to those with AP

Question 7

Counterpoint to Research Support - AO3

Answer 7

Researchers analysed pps subscales of F-scale + found obedient pps had unusual for APs
e.g. generally didn’t: glorify their fathers, experienced unusual amount of punishment as child or were hostile to mothers

MEANS link between obedience and authoritarianism is complex - were unlike APs so not a useful predictor

Question 8

Limited Explanation

Answer 8

Can’t explain obedience in majority of country - Nazism

• in pre-war Germany, millions were obedient, racist and anti-Semitic behaviour despit different personality
• unlikely they all have AP
• Alt view => SIT: Germans identified w/ anti-Semetic Nazi state and scapegoated outgroup of Jews => more realistic

Question 9

Flawed Evidence - AO3

Answer 9

• While F-scale has provided basis of obedience on AP
• Greenstein (‘69) calls F-scale a ‘comedy of methodological errors’ as it is v flawed
• Can get a high score by selecting ‘agree’ answers - anyone w/ response bias can be assessed as having AP