Obedience: Dispositional Explanations

Question 1

What did Adorno want to understand?

Answer 1

Anti semitism of Holocaust. On basis of their research they came to believe that high level of obedience was a psychological disorder and tried to locate causes of it in personality of individual.

Question 2

Procedure

Answer 2

Investigates causes of obedient personality in study of more than 2000 middle class, white Americans & their unconscious attitudes towards other racial groups. Developed potential for fascism scale to investigate it which is still used to measure authoritarian personality. Eg of items on Fascist scale: obedience for authority is most important virtue a child should learn.

Question 3

Findings

Answer 3

Who scored high on F scale, got identified with strong people and were contemptuous of weak. Conscious of own and other’s status, showing loads of respect to higher status. Strong positive correlation between authoritarianism and prejudice.

Question 4

Authoritarian characteristics

Answer 4

This is when you are submissive to higher status and dismissive of inferiors. People with authoritarian personality have tendency to be obedient to authority. Everything is either right or wrong & are uncomfortable with uncertainty. Have highly attitudes towards sex, race & gender. Belief that strong leaders are needed to enforce love of country & family.

Question 5

Origin of authoritarian personality

Answer 5

Formed in childhood due to harsh parenting: strict discipline, high standards. Parents’ love depends on child’s behaviour. Fear of standing up so its displaced onto others who are weak.

Question 6

Weakness

Answer 6

Limited explanation. Any explanation of obedience in terms of individual personality will find it hard to explain obedient behaviour in maj of country’s population. Limitation as it is clear that alternative explanation is more realistic.

Question 7

Weakness (Christie & Jahoda)

Answer 7

Political bias. They argued that it is a politically biased interpretation of authoritarian personality. Limitation as it isn’t a comprehensive explanation that could account for obedience to authority across whole political spectrum.

Question 8

Weakness

Answer 8

Methodological problems. Based on flawed methodology. Every item on F scale is worded in same direction so it is possible to get high score for authoritariasm just by ticking same line of boxes down 1 side of page. Scale is just measuring tendency to agree with everything.

Question 9

Weakness

Answer 9

Correlation, not causation. No matter how strong a correlation is, it doesn’t cause it. Therefore harsh parenting wouldn’t cause development of authoritarian personality.