Social Influence: Authoritarian Personality Flashcards
What is an authoritarian personality?
A collective of traits/dispositions developed from strict/rigid parenting.
How do people with authoritarian personality act to those with higher status?
Obedient towards people of perceived higher status.
What are some origins of authoritarian personality?
- Childhood.
- Harsh, distant parents.
- Grow up assuming this level of obedience is norm.
What are examples of authoritarian personality traits?
Strict discipline, high standards, severe criticism, physical punishments.
What does situational mean?
Explanations that focus on the influence that stem from the environment in which that individual is found.
What does dispositional mean?
Explanations of individual behaviour caused by internal characteristics that reside within their personality.
What sort of society do AP believe in?
Believe in a controlled society that actively enforce traditional values such as love of country, religion and family.
Who developed the F-Scale?
Adorno (1950)
What is the F-Scale?
F stands for fascist.
An attitude questionnaire.
What does fascist mean?
Submission to authority, usually political, and accepting violence as an acceptable way to achieve this.
What was the procedure in Ardorno’s experiment?
Measured 2000 middle class, white Americans and their unconscious attitudes towards other racial groups.
What were the findings of Adorno?
People who scored high on the F Scale identified with ‘strong’ people and were contemptuous of ‘the weak’.
What are criticisms of Dispositional explanations (Adnoro)?
Relies on self-report: may be invalid due to social desirability.
