Obedience : dispositional explanation Flashcards
What did Adorno believe in ?
- Strict obedience and adherence to traditional values
- interested in understanding the anti-semitists in the holocaust
- he believes the high obedience from the Nazi’s was because of their disposition
Who studied the authoritarian personality ?
Adorno
What are the values of an authoritarian personality ?
- show extreme respect for authority
- need for strong leaders to reinforce traditional values
- contempt for those who are of an inferior state
- people who are different are responsible for the pitfalls in society
What was used to test Adorno’s theory ?
The ‘f-scale’
What does the f in f-scale stand for ?
Fascism
What was the aim of Adorno’s study ?
To investigate the unconscious attitude of different ethnicities
Who were the participants of Adorno’s research ?
- 2000
- middle class
- white
- Americans
What were the methods of Adorno’s research ?
- interviews
- projective testing
- questionnaires
- f-scale
What were the Findings of Adorno’s study ?
- those with an authoritarian personality held masses of respect with those in authority positions
- those with a high score showed a large respect to those of a higher status
Where does Adorno believe that authoritarian personality’s come from ?
- harsh parenting
- conditional love
- severe criticisms
- high standards
- strict disciple
What are the limitations of Adorno’s study ?
Limited explanation
- cannot explain obedient behaviour in the majority of a country’s populations
- All displayed obedient behaviour but it is unlikely that they all possess an authoritarian personality
Political bias
- f-scale only measures the tendency towards extreme right-wing ideology
- doesn’t count as an explanation for for the whole political spectrum
What is a strength of adorno’s study ?
Research support
- Milgram supports
- people who completed Milgrams completed the ‘f-scale’
- 20 obedient participants scored significantly higher than 20 disobedient participants.
