Obedience Dispositional explanation

Question 1

Dispositional explanation

Answer 1

explanation of behaviour, highlights importance of individuals personality. Internal characteristics that affect obedience

Question 2

Adorno et al

Answer 2

wanted to understand anti-Semitism of the holocaust, high level of obedience was psychological disorder, lie in individual rather than situation

Question 3

Authoritarian personality

Answer 3

show extreme respect to authority, society is ‘weak’ and need strong leaders to enforce traditional values, dismissive of inferior social status, inflexible look on the world ‘black or white’ (particular cognitive style)

Question 4

origins of AP

Answer 4

-forms in childhood, result of harsh parenting, high standards, strict discipline, conditional love. This creates resentment hostility in the child, cant express their feelings fear of punishment, place these onto others who are ‘weaker’

Question 5

Adorno’s research

Answer 5

studied 2000 white middle class Americans and their unconscious attitudes towards minority groups using questionnaires, developed potential-for-fascism (F-scale) to measure AP. One factor measured was Authoritarian Aggression, tendency to condemn, reject and punish those who violate conventional values.

Question 6

Adorno’s findings

Answer 6

AP scored higher o F-scale and other measures, identified with ‘strong’ people, contemptuous of weak, conscious of status, extreme respect for authority, strong positive correlation between prejudice and authoritarianism.

Question 7

Evaluation (strength)

Answer 7

-research support from Milgram & Elms establish link between obedience and authoritarianism. Interviewed a small sample who participated in the original study and were fully obedient. Completed F-scale, those who gave 450 v scored higher than comparison group of 20 disobedient pps. Obedient people have similar characteristics of AP

Question 8

Evaluation (weakness)

Answer 8

-limited explanation, doesn’t explain obedience in majority population, alternative, pre-war Germany, millions obedient, rascist, despite different personalities, unlikely they all AP. They identified with Nazi state, social identity theory approach.

Question 9

Evaluation ( weakness)

Answer 9

-F-scale only measures tendency towards extreme right-wing ideology, Christie & Jahoda argued it is a politically biased interpretation of AP, extreme left and right wing ideologies have a lot common, both emphasize importance of complete obedience to political authority , Adornos explanation doesn’t account for obedience to authority across whole political spectrum, those with a conservative attitude are AP.