OBEDIENCE: dispositional explanation Flashcards
What was adorno trying to find?
He was interested ininvestigating why Nazi soldiers were sowilling to persecuteand kill members ofminority groups, such as Jews duringWWII. Could it be blamed on a personalitytrait?
He claimed that a particular personalitytype is more likely to obey higherauthority , he believed that if a personexperienced high level of obedience, thatthey suffer from apsychological disorder
What were the conclusions of adorno ?
He concluded that individuals with an authoritarian personality were more obedient to authority figuires and showed extreme submissivness and respect
people with an authoritarian personality are uncomfortable with uncertainty
they see everything as right or wrong withno grey areasin between showing an inflexible attitude
they therefore believe that society requires strong leadership to enforce rigid traditional values
what did adorno find?
Individuals who scored highly on the f scale
identified with strong people and showed disrespect towards the weak.
they also were status conscious showing excessive respect to those in higher power.
strong positive correlationbetween authoritarianism and prejudice
What was the procedure of Adornos study ?
carried out a study on 2000 white american middle class individuals and asked them their unconscious attitudes towards other racial groups
he made the f scale (facism scale ) to measure the relationship between a persons personality type and prejudice beliefs
an example of a question was “ obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues children should learn “
What is a dispositional factor ?
It is an explanation of individualbehaviour caused by internalcharacteristics : a person`s personalityor disposition causes them to behavethe way they do.
What are characteristics of an authoritarian personality ?
An authoritarian personality tends to show extreme respect towards authority and hierarchies.
They also dont show respect towards people they that they perceive as having an inferior social status.
People with an authoritarian personality have highly conventional (ordinary) views onrace, gender and sex.
Rigid beliefs in traditional values
They believe thatthey needstrongleaders to enforcetraditional values such aslove of their country, religion andfamily.
People withthis personality view everything as either right or wrongand areveryuncomfortablewith uncertainty
What causes an authoritarian personality?
An authoritarianpersonality is likely to bethe result of harshparenting
. A child is shown love from their parentsaslong asthey obey them anddo what they say.
This causes them to have a highrespect for authority.
What is an authoritarian personality?
A distinct personality pattern chracterised bystrict adherance to conventional valuesand a belief in absolute obedience or submission to authority
what is obedience?
Obedience is a type of social influence which causes a person to act in response to an order given by another person. The person who gives the order usually has power or authority.
